In a move that has raised eyebrows, The Telegraph has completely removed an article critical of Vantara, the wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center owned by Anant Ambani, son of industrialist Mukesh Ambani. While the article has been deleted, the URL (https://www.telegraphindia.com/amp/world/probe-animal-export-to-vantara-network-of-wildlife-orgs-writes-to-south-africas-minister/cid/2088094) remains accessible, serving as a digital footprint of the content that once existed.
The Wildlife Animal Protection Forum of South Africa (WAPFSA), which represents 30 national organizations, has raised concerns about the export of wild animals, including leopards and tigers, to Vantara, a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center owned by Anant Ambani, the son of industrialist Mukesh Ambani.
In a letter to South Africa’s environment minister, Dion George, WAPFSA highlighted serious concerns raised within the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regarding the large number of species being exported to Vantara. The forum has urged the minister to investigate the matter.
WAPFSA noted that representatives from Vantara had visited the CITES Secretariat on July 28, 2023, where they explained that in recent years, the center has been rescuing animals in distress from countries outside India and importing them to their facility. The forum has questioned the practices surrounding the trade of captive-bred animals in South Africa and raised concerns about the commercial purposes for which they might be traded.
The letter also mentioned that the export of 12 cheetahs to India lacked the necessary non-detrimental findings, prompting questions about where the other 56 cheetahs were exported from in South Africa. The center, which was officially launched on February 26, 2024, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on World Wildlife Day (March 3), has been under scrutiny for these animal import activities.
