Delhi Zoo to sign ‘knowledge sharing’ MoU with Vantara, but no management transfer, say officials

Aim to provide training to Delhi Zoo employees, knowledge sharing of best practices and veterinary support for large animals.

File photo of Delhi's National Zoological Park | ANI

New Delhi: The Delhi’s National Zoological Park (NZP) is all set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Reliance’s Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, which runs the Vantara Zoo in Jamnagar.

A senior official in the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has told ThePrint that the MoU, to be signed next week, is a “knowledge-sharing partnership” with the Greens Zoological and Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRRC).

Agreement among Delhi’s NZP, GZRRC, Gujarat government

The proposal, which will be a tripartite agreement among Delhi’s NZP, GZRRC, and the Gujarat government, will include provisions to offer training and workshops to Delhi Zoo employees, knowledge sharing of best practices between the zoos, and veterinary support for large animals, officials at the Delhi Zoo said.

“There will be an exchange of resources and expertise, but there are no talks about a management transfer,” the official said, without clarifying the terms and the extent of the knowledge-sharing agreement.

Director of the Delhi Zoo Sanjeet Kumar also denied any knowledge of the management of the Zoo being transferred to GZRRC. The MoU will only facilitate the modernisation requirements of the Delhi Zoo, while also enabling animal transfers and training sessions for the staff of both organisations, he added.

“A team of 7 members from Vantara visited the Zoo on Saturday and Sunday and were taken around the facilities,” said Kumar. “The MoU has been drafted, and a proposal has been sent to all parties. It hasn’t been signed yet.”

ThePrint reached out to Vantara’s Dr Brij Kishor Gupta, but has not received a response.

The Delhi Zoo is the only zoo in the country run by the Central government, with the funds and management being supervised by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

This isn’t the first time the Delhi Zoo has entered into an agreement with Reliance’s GZRRC for capacity-building and training partnerships; the first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in 2021 between the then director of the Delhi NZP and the GZRRC Director. Even in late 2024, a team of veterinarians from Vantara had visited the Delhi Zoo to assess the health of their lone African elephant Shankar. However, this is the first MoU between the two involving both the Government of Gujarat and the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change.

“They (Vantara) have world-class veterinarians and facilities, and there’s a lot we can learn from them. The MoU will help advance our partnership,” said Kumar. “It is an addition and a scope improvement of the previous MoU.”

The senior official from MOEFCC confirmed that the MoU will be signed next week.

History of Delhi Zoo

One of the oldest zoos in the country, the Delhi National Zoological Park was inaugurated in 1959, and remains the only zoo still under the control of the central government. It was designated the ‘National Zoological Park’ so it could serve as a model for the other state-owned zoos in the country.

It initially reported directly to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, but in 2019, the authority changed to the Central Zoo Authority. Later it was brought back under the MOEFCC. But it has always remained in the hands of the Central Government and not the Delhi Government, unlike most other state zoos.

However, the Zoo has, over the years, been embroiled in quite a few controversies, the latest of which involved the stripping of its World Association of Zoos and Aquariums membership in October 2024, due to the mistreatment of elephant Shankar. Earlier too, in 2023, the Delhi High Court had rapped the Central Zoo Authority and directed it to look into the case of staff shortage and animal deaths at the Delhi Zoo.

Vantara largest private zoo in India

Vantara, on the other hand, is the biggest private zoo in India, established by Anant Ambani in 2020, initially as a centre to rescue and rehabilitate injured and sick animals, but now boasts the largest collection of animals in the country – 10,360 according to its latest annual report. There have been reports by wildlife activists though, demanding transparency around the animal transfers to Vantara, especially given the wide variety of rare and exotic animals it hosts.

Over the past two years, Vantara has supported numerous zoos and wildlife trusts across the country by taking in their animals and sending veterinary services. It has helped the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, the Assam Zoo, and even Kuno National Park in September 2024 when cheetah deaths were reported.

However, it hasn’t yet taken over the entire management of any zoo or national park in the country.

(Edited by Viny Mishra)