Do not ‘engage formally’: UK officials advised against billionaire-run zoo ahead of CITES meeting
LONDON — British officials explicitly advised government ministers to not engage formally with Vantara, the controversial zoo founded and led by Indian billionaire Anant Ambani, according to documents obtained by Mongabay and The Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act. Ambani is the son of one of India’s richest men, Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing […]
British officials have advised government ministers to refrain from engaging formally with Vantara, a controversial zoo founded and led by Indian billionaire Anant Ambani, prior to a CITES meeting, according to documents obtained by Mongabay and The Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act. Ambani, the son of India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, heads the multinational petrochemical and telecommunications conglomerate Reliance Industries.
The UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) communicated its concerns over ministerial interactions with Vantara, citing ongoing compliance proceedings and continued scrutiny. DEFRA officials warned in an email on July 14 that "we do not advise ministers to engage formally with Vantara at this stage."
Additionally, internal briefing documents from DEFRA highlighted concerns regarding Vantara's attempts to acquire rare and endangered species, raising alarm bells about the zoo's practices. The zoo claims to be a "wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre" housing over 150,000 animals. However, in 2025, Vantara faced official scrutiny following allegations of illegally acquiring endangered species. The facility remains closed as of now. This report was initially published on Mongabay.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
