Censorship – News Media/Documentaries

Days after reporting on a South African wildlife organization raising concerns about the functioning of the Reliance-owned Vantara Animal and Rehabilitation Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat, at least three major media outlets have taken down their stories from the web.
In a letter dated March 6, the Wildlife Animal Protection Forum of South Africa (WAPFSA), a coalition of 30 organizations advocating for animal welfare, urged the country’s environment ministry to investigate the large-scale transfer of wild animals, including leopards, cheetahs, tigers, and lions, from South Africa to Vantara.
Vantara, a project by the Reliance group and led by Anant Ambani, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 4. The 3000-acre facility that “focuses on caring for sick and endangered animals from India and other countries and on their rescue, treatment, and rehabilitation”, houses a 650-acre setup dedicated to rescued animals, known as the Greens Zoological, Rescue, and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRRC). In the letter addressed to South African environment minister Dion George, the WAPFSA raised concerns about potential non-compliance by Vantara with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). CITES is a multilateral treaty that regulates the global trade of endangered animals and plants.