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India, US, Japan, and Brazil backed withdrawal of earlier directive
ReutersMonday 24 November 2025 09:37 GMTComments
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A UN wildlife trade body has reversed its previous recommendation to restrict India from importing endangered wild animals that embroiled the private zoo run by Asia's richest family.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) reversed the recommendation after some countries, including India, the US, Japan and Brazil said the measure was too premature, with some also saying there was no evidence of illegal imports into India.
Vantara is a 3,500-acre zoo in Gujarat run by the philanthropic arm of the Reliance conglomerate led by Mukesh Ambani and his family. It had faced allegations from non-profit and wildlife groups of improper imports of some animals, triggering higher scrutiny by Germany and the EU.
After visiting the facility in September, CITES issued a report this month asking India to "not issue any further import permits" as discrepancies had been found between exporter and importer trade data and there were insufficient checks on the origin of some animals.
The CITES meeting in Uzbekistan on the decision was live-streamed on Sunday.
"There doesn't seem to be enough support for retaining the recommendation," Naimah Aziz, chair of the CITES Standing Committee, told the delegates, adding it could consider if further regulatory measures were needed.
File. Narendra Modi inaugurates India's largest private zoo run by powerful Ambani family (@@narendramodi/X)CITES is a global treaty that regulates trade in endangered plants and animals.
India had earlier opposed the UN recommendation.
Vantara, which previously said it remained committed to transparency and legal compliance, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Vantara zoo houses around 2,000 species, including exotic animals imported from South Africa, Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo, such as snakes, tortoises, tigers, giraffes and spiny-tailed lizards.
While India's delegate affirmed the country's commitment to CITES compliance, Belgium and at least one conservation group, the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, on Sunday pushed to suspend exports to India until concerns were addressed.
In September, an Indian Supreme Court-appointed investigation cleared Vantara of wrongdoing, while the facility said it complied with all laws.
European environment commissioner Jessika Roswall said in August that EU states "will pay particular attention to any export requests directed towards India and the facility in question".
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