Ambani's Vantara accused of intimidating South African wildlife group over animal exports

Guwahati: The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum of South Africa (WAPFSA), a national network of wildlife conservation organizations, has accused the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRRC), also known as Vantara, of attempting to intimidate them after raising concerns about a large-scale export of wild animals.

Vantara, a private zoo in Jamnagar, Gujarat, is owned by Anant Ambani, the youngest son of industrialist Mukesh Ambani.

WAPFSA, which represents 30 South African organizations, sent a formal letter to the South African Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries, Dion George, on March 6, 2025, expressing concerns about the export of numerous wild animals, including leopards, cheetahs, lions, and tigers, to Vantara.

This letter was also copied to the CITES Secretariat.

Also read: South Africa’s animal protection forum seeks probe into wildlife exports to Ambani’s Vantara

The organization, which monitors international wildlife trade, stated that its concerns were based on publicly available information and were submitted to the relevant authorities for investigation, in accordance with South African citizens' constitutional right to environmental protection and access to information.

"We identified issues already publicly raised by others in published documents and sources and requested that the authorities investigate further," stated WAPFSA in an official media release.

“The tone of the letter is reasonable and respectful. WAPFSA addressed its concerns not to the media but to the proper authorities in South Africa," it stated.

However, on March 11, 2025, WAPFSA received a letter from SHS Chambers, lawyers representing GZRRC, alleging that their letter to the South African government was defamatory and contained falsehoods.

In response, WAPFSA's legal team refuted these allegations on March 18, 2025, asserting that they were "incorrect and unsubstantiated."

They further suggested that the letter from GZRRC's lawyers was an attempt to intimidate WAPFSA and deter them from their investigations into the wildlife trade from South Africa, which they maintain are conducted in the public interest.

WAPFSA emphasized the importance of transparency and access to information for democratic participation.

"Where information is hidden, limited, or misconstrued to suit a certain agenda, people are excluded, unable to engage with governance issues from a well-rounded point of view and to hold their governments to account," the organization stated.

They underscored that freedom of expression, constitutionally protected in South Africa and enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is essential for holding governments accountable.

The organization is continuing to request a full investigation by the South African government into the exports.

However, GZRRC refuted the allegations of intimidation. "Exercising legal remedies in response to defamatory conduct is not intimidation but a necessary legal step. The legal notice seeks correction, and if WAPFSA fails to comply, our client will proceed with appropriate legal action," GZRRC stated in an email response to Northeast Now's query.

"GZRRC has a clear legal right to act against false, defamatory, and misleading statements. This right is firmly established under Indian law," it said.

"WAPFSA deliberately ignored the fact that all compliance concerns raised at the 77th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee (SC77) in November 2023 were fully reviewed and officially closed at the 78th Meeting (SC78) in February 2025. There are no ongoing investigations or compliance actions against Vantara (GZRRC)," GZRRC further stated.

"WAPFSA has no defense for its deliberate non-reliance on the CITES Standing Committee deliberation on Agenda Item 33.1 in February 2025. Hence, this manufactured claim of intimidation is nothing but an attempt to deflect from its misrepresentation of facts," it added.

GZRRC further stated that all animal transfers from South Africa to Vantara were conducted in full compliance with South African and international regulations, including CITES guidelines.