Bhupender Yadav defends Delhi Zoo-Vantara MoU, calls pact as step towards modernisation

New Delhi (India), Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has hit back at criticism surrounding the recent memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Delhi’s National Zoological Park (NZP) and the Gujarat-based Vantara initiative, calling the backlash a result of “habitual doubt-creators.”

The collaboration, he clarified, is part of standard zoological practice aimed at enhancing conservation efforts, scientific research, animal welfare, and staff training.

“Some people have made it a habit to create doubts in the mind of the public at every instance,” he added in a detailed statement posted recently on X. 

 

Yadav emphasised that both NZP and the Central Zoo Authority regularly enter into collaborative agreements with zoos, universities, and scientific institutions. “Similarly, the National Zoological Park signed a MoU with Greens Zoological and Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (GZRRC), Jamnagar, in January 2021,” he stated, highlighting that the updated agreement is a continuation of that effort, now being expanded to meet modern needs.

 

Defending the role of Vantara, he noted that the Jamnagar-based institution has developed “state-of-the-art facilities in animal health, welfare, rescue, rehabilitation, and habitat enrichment”.

 

“The National Zoological Park, being a 60-year-old institution, has gained substantial expertise in breeding and care of endangered species, and is now aiming to modernise its facilities,” Yadav said. 

 

He added that the revised MoU focuses on veterinary support, enclosure design, conservation education, and technical staff development.
 

The minister’s remarks came after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh voiced apprehensions over the agreement, questioning whether it marked the beginning of zoo privatisation. Ramesh had described the move as a “hush-hush” deal lacking transparency, and asked whether it was the “first step towards handing over the zoo to a private enterprise.”
 

“The Delhi Zoo is under the direct control of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change. It is planning to sign an agreement with the one and only Vantara and the Gujarat govt for getting better management practices. But while the govt claims that this is not a management transfer, its past record does not inspire confidence. Is this the first step towards handing over the zoo to a private enterprise?,” Ramesh said in his post on X.
 

Yadav dismissed such concerns, asserting that “NZP has signed MoUs with different organisations working in wildlife management and research in the past and will continue to pursue similar collaborations”. 
 

He described the criticism as misplaced and misleading, stating that such agreements are essential to raising animal care standards and modernising zoo operations while maintaining full public accountability.
 

Officials from Vantara have also reiterated that the agreement does not involve any transfer of administrative control or ownership and is solely focused on collaboration in the public interest. 
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