Vantara zoo resets animal import policy

Vantara, the vast Indian zoo founded by Anant Ambani, has announced a governance reset and a shift away from importing animals after criticism of its rapid global animal acquisitions.

John Scanlon, who headed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora from 2010 to 2018, was appointed on Thursday to chair Vantara's newly created governing council. The council will have authority over decisions on animal acquisitions.

Scanlon said in a statement issued by Ambani's Reliance Industries that Vantara had decided to strengthen its internal due diligence, governance, expertise and processes. He said it would pivot from rescue outside animals' natural habitats toward support for conservation in countries of origin, including India.

Vantara said this month it had submitted voluntary commitments to CITES and India's Supreme Court, including a commitment to withdraw all pending applications to import live animals. It said it had imposed a minimum one-year moratorium on imports until June 2027 while it builds its governance, expertise and processes.

The 3,500-acre wildlife facility is in Jamnagar, in Gujarat state, beside a large oil refinery complex. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2025 and has more than 260 Asian elephants, along with bears, tigers, lions, leopards and hundreds of crocodiles.

The CITES Secretariat recommended reforms in 2025 to ensure Vantara did “not inadvertently become a driver of illegal harvest of wild animals”.