After Ambani zoo probe, wildlife body reverses call to curb animal imports to India

FILE PHOTO: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Anant Ambani, son of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, pose for a photograph after the inauguration of Vantara animal rescue and rehabilitation centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India, March 4, 2025. India's Press Information Bureau/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -A U.N. wildlife trade body decided on Sunday not to restrict India from importing endangered animals, after many countries supported reversing an earlier stringent recommendation that had embroiled the private zoo run by Asia's richest family.

Vantara, a 3,500-acre zoo in Gujarat run by the philanthropic arm of the Reliance conglomerate led by Mukesh Ambani and his family, had faced allegations from non-profit and wildlife groups of improper imports of some animals, triggering higher scrutiny by Germany and the EU.