Indian tycoon's giant Vantara zoo announces 'reset', rethinks imports

Indian tycoon's giant Vantara zoo announces 'reset', rethinks imports The overhaul follows reservations concerning its rapid acquisition of animals from worldwide and questions regarding procedures for approving imports of protected species.

Key points

• The CITES Secretariat recommended serious reforms in 2025 to ensure Vantara does "not inadvertently become a driver of illegal harvest of wild animals".
• It remarked it had self-imposed a minimum one-year moratorium on imports until June 2027 while it "builds the governance, the expertise and processes" needed.
• It offered in April to take hippos descended from those introduced to Colombia by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, rather than have the animals killed.
• Vantara remarked this month it had submitted "voluntary commitments" to CITES, additionally filed at India's Supreme Court, including to "withdraw all pending applications to import live animals".
• "This represents a new chapter for Vantara, " CEO Vivaan Karani remarked in an official note.

India's vast Vantara zoo, which calls itself the world's largest animal rescue centre, has confirmed a major reset under the former head of a global wildlife watchdog after sharp criticism of its operations. Photo Credit: AFP.

Founded by Anant Ambani, son of billionaire tycoon Mukesh Ambani, Vantara will shift away from importing animals and towards supporting conservation in their countries of origin, remarked John Scanlon. This person was appointed on Thursday (August 21, 2026).

Mr. Scanlon, who headed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) from 2010 to 2018, will chair the centre's newly created governing council, with authority over decisions on animal acquisitions.

"Vantara has sought, obtained, and acted upon external advice as it takes bold steps to reset its operations, " Mr. Scanlon remarked in an official note issued by Mr. Ambani's Reliance Industries.

"In making this reset, it has decided to voluntarily strengthen its internal due diligence governance, expertise and processes, and to pivot from ex situ rescue towards providing in situ support to countries, including in India."

Notably, the sprawling 3, 500-acre (1, 416-hectare) wildlife facility at Jamnagar, in the western state of Gujarat, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2025, housing endangered species on baking hot lands next to a giant oil refinery complex.

As well as scores of bears, tigers, lions, leopards and hundreds of crocodiles, it has more than 260 Asian elephants, and includes what it notes is the world's "largest dedicated elephant hospital".

Experts have repeatedly triggered concern over Vantara's vast animal intake, including the import of critically endangered and rare species.

Notably, the CITES Secretariat recommended serious reforms in 2025 to ensure Vantara does "not inadvertently become a driver of illegal harvest of wild animals".

Vantara additionally pledged to backing local conservation in India, including state forest departments, rescue centres, breeding programmes and zoo modernisation.

Globally, it remarked it would focus on "strengthening rescue centres, veterinary hospitals and conservation programmes in range states, rather than relocating animals".

Proposed projects ranged from Brazil – to backing Spix's macaws, one of the world's rarest birds – to projects in Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Rwanda and elephant care centres in Indonesia and Zimbabwe.

"Ultimately, we want to be judged not by how many animals come to Vantara, but by how many animals are helped where they belong, the species recovered in the wild, the people trained, the countries supported and the science and expertise we are able to share."

For now, indian tycoon' s giant Vantara zoo announces ' reset' , rethinks imports remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.