Vantara names independent Governing Council to oversee wildlife operations

Vantara has announced the members of its newly established independent Governing Council, which will oversee the organisation’s conservation, rescue and compliance activities and have the final say on any future applications to import wild animals.

The five-member council, along with one ex officio non-voting member, brings together experts in wildlife policy, law, institutional governance, wildlife crime, human-wildlife conflict, zoo standards, veterinary care and community-based conservation.

John E. Scanlon AO, environmentalist and former Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), will serve as the independent chair. He will be joined by former Supreme Court judge Justice Krishna Murari; Craig Hoover, Executive Vice President of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; former Karnataka Chief Wildlife Warden Subhash K. Malkhede; and Ethiopian-Italian conservation expert Greta F. Iori.

Hoover will begin his term on the council in January 2027 after completing his tenure with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Dr Kushal Konwar Sarma, an Indian wildlife veterinarian and elephant specialist, will serve as the ex officio non-voting member.

The council members will serve in an independent personal capacity, while Vantara employees cannot be voting members. The body will also supervise the organisation’s compliance with Indian laws, CITES and other international agreements, besides helping determine its vision for the next five years and beyond.

“The Governing Council has a central role to play in setting the future vision for Vantara and in ensuring it embeds recently announced changes into its daily operations,” Scanlon said. He added that the council brings together “outstanding professional credentials, extensive experience, and exemplary personal credibility”.

Vantara CEO Vivaan Karani said the council’s independent authority would be central to implementing the organisation’s commitments to the Indian CITES Management Authority and ensuring its decisions are subject to independent oversight.

As part of its governance reforms, Vantara has committed that it will not submit any application to import an animal before June 5, 2027. After that date, any application will require prior written approval from the Governing Council following an internal due diligence process.

The council will also review Vantara’s progress against its August 19 letter to the Indian CITES Management Authority. The governance framework will be supported by a CITES Due Diligence Committee, an Advisory Board, a Special Director and the Office of Compliance and Due Diligence.