NEW DELHI: India has urged a UN wildlife trade watchdog not to curb its imports of endangered species, saying it has stepped up oversight amid growing allegations of irregular animal shipments to a large private zoo run by Asia’s richest family.
Vantara, a 3,500-hectare zoo in Gujarat state, run by the philanthropic arm of a conglomerate led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani and his family, has faced allegations of improperly importing certain animals, sparking increased scrutiny from authorities in Germany and the European Union. Reuters has reported.
Indian investigators tasked by the country’s Supreme Court to look into the claims by non-profit and wildlife groups cleared the sanctuary of any wrongdoing in September, and Vantara has said it complies with all regulations.
After visiting the facility in September, the secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) issued a report last week asking India to review its procedures.
The report cited discrepancies between exporter and importer trade data and cited insufficient checks on the origin of some animals.
In a submission to Cites dated November 10, India said any restrictive or punitive measure at this stage would lack legal basis and risk disrupting the Cites framework, calling the measure “premature and disproportionate”.
The wildlife agency’s request “would amount to a de facto suspension or moratorium on legal” imports, the government said.
The Indian submission, published on the Cites website ahead of its convention meeting this month, is first reported by Reuters. It signals new squabbles over Vantara’s imports.
‘Exceptionally high standards’
CITES is a global treaty that regulates trade in endangered plants and animals, or products derived from them, with the aim of ensuring their survival.
While Cites last week acknowledged that Vantara operates facilities with “exceptionally high standards”, it recommended that India halt new import permits for endangered species until security measures are tightened.
The body warned that without stricter controls, animals originating from the wild could be misrepresented as captive-bred.
India responded that it “has strengthened the inspection and reporting mechanisms of all recognized zoos and rescue facilities”, including Vantara. The government also directed the Central Zoo Authority to ensure enhanced due diligence for all future acquisitions.
Cites and Vantara did not respond to one Reuters request for comments on the Indian government’s submissions on Wednesday.
Vantara – home to 2,000 species
Vantara says it is home to about 2,000 species. It includes imported exotic species from South Africa, Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo, including snakes, turtles, tigers, cheetahs, giraffes and chimpanzees.
The shipments were registered with a declared value of $9 million, which Vantara has said reflected freight and insurance costs, not any payments for wildlife.
The Cites report noted last week that “a number of animals come from established commercial breeding facilities which would normally sell the animals they breed”.
India has launched a defence, saying in response that the SC panel’s findings showed that imports were carried out in accordance with the rules.
