Vantara in talks with Brazil on ‘strategic cooperation’ on threatened species, FOIA documents reveal
Vantara, the billionaire-run Indian private zoo that houses more than 150,000 animals, discussed a “strategic conservation partnership” with authorities in Brazil, the world’s most biodiverse country, according to documents obtained by Mongabay under Brazil’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Correspondence between Vantara representatives and Brazilian officials reveal that negotiations,…
Indian billionaire-run zoo Vantara is reportedly engaged in negotiations with Brazilian authorities on a "strategic conservation partnership," according to newly disclosed documents obtained by Mongabay under Brazil's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The potential collaboration, initiated by Vantara in August 2025, involves discussions regarding the protection of some of Brazil's most threatened species.
The zoo, founded in 2025 by Anant Ambani, the youngest son of India's wealthiest individual Mukesh Ambani, currently houses over 150,000 animals in Gujarat state, western India. The proposed partnership was outlined in an email from an unidentified Vantara representative to three officials at Brazil's Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), which oversees national biodiversity protection.
The email, addressed to ICMBio's president Mauro Pires, director Marcelo Marcelino de Oliveira, and head of international affairs Raul Fontoura, was marked with Vantara's official name, the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRRC). The letter highlighted Vantara's capability to assist with urgent ex-situ interventions for Brazilian species, emphasizing their role in maintaining surplus populations through zoo and breeding center programs.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
