Overview
- A CITES Secretariat report following a September visit flagged exporter–importer data mismatches and insufficient origin checks, recommending a pause on new permits until safeguards are strengthened.
- In a November 10 submission, India argued any restrictive step would be premature, disproportionate and lacking legal basis, warning it would operate as a de facto suspension.
- The government says inspection and reporting have been tightened for all recognized zoos and that the Central Zoo Authority has been instructed to enforce enhanced due diligence on future acquisitions.
- Supreme Court–appointed investigators cleared Vantara of wrongdoing in September, and CITES acknowledged the facility operates at exceptionally high standards.
- Allegations over imports have drawn scrutiny from German and EU authorities, and Vantara says it houses about 2,000 species including exotic animals imported from South Africa, Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo.