CITES Panel Recommends India Pause Endangered Animal Imports Pending Review of Due Diligence Practices
A committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has recommended that India pause issuing permits for importing endangered animals. This follows a visit to the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (Vantara) in Jamnagar. While the panel found no evidence of commercial trade, it raised questions regarding the origin of certain specimens and the exercise of due diligence by Indian authorities. CITES suggests the pause remain until India comprehensively reviews its practices to ensure animal trade is not carried out in violation of the international convention.
Key Points
- CITES is the primary international agreement regulating the cross-border movement of protected animal species.
- The recommendation specifically targets imports by zoos and wildlife rescue centers like Vantara and the Radha Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust.
- The panel expressed concerns over the source and purpose-of-transaction codes used for several imports.
- India is urged to ensure that due diligence is exercised systematically before resuming such imports.
Exam Facts
- CITES stands for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
- The facility visited is the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRRC) in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
- The CITES report was uploaded to their website on October 31.
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