Two stolen lemurs from Bangladesh traced to Ambani-backed zoo in India

Two ring-tailed lemurs stolen from Bangladesh’s Gazipur Safari Park have reportedly been traced to a wildlife centre in India operated by one of the country’s wealthiest families, the Ambanis.

The two animals were among three lemurs taken from the park in March 2025 and later smuggled out of Bangladesh, according to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), reports UK-based The Independent.

Lemurs are native to Madagascar and are critically endangered.

According to investigators, the animals had originally been brought into Bangladesh through Dhaka airport in 2018 after being falsely declared to customs. They were later rescued and transferred to Gazipur Safari Park.

Bangladesh has sought Interpol’s assistance in bringing the two lemurs back, but efforts to establish their identities have been complicated by the absence of microchips, unique identification numbers and stored DNA profiles, Bangladeshi newspaper Ajker Patrika reported.

Authorities are now seeking to conduct DNA profiling on the juvenile lemur that remains in Bangladesh to establish whether it is biologically related to the two animals taken to India.

Investigators said the lemurs were smuggled into India through the Darshana border in Chuadanga and sold for nearly Rs4.8 million, or about £504,000, according to Ajker Patrika.

The animals were allegedly stolen with the assistance of a security guard and taken across the border with the help of a border lineman, based on confession statements cited by investigators.

They were subsequently transferred between several people before being taken to Jamnagar in western India, where they were allegedly sold to an institution linked to the Vantara wildlife centre.

Six of the eight people suspected of involvement in the smuggling case have reportedly confessed before a local court, investigators said.

Bangladeshi authorities became aware that the lemurs may have reached Vantara after photographs of the animals appeared on social media. They subsequently began efforts to recover and repatriate them.

The Independent said it contacted Vantara for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Vantara is a 3,500-acre zoo in Gujarat operated by the Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust, which is backed by Reliance, the conglomerate owned by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani.

The facility was conceived by Ambani’s son, Anant Ambani, and was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2025.

Animal rights organisations have questioned Vantara’s role as a conservation initiative, citing concerns over the transparency of its animal acquisitions and its focus on rare species and large-scale infrastructure.

They have also raised concerns about the transfer of animals to the private facility from public zoos in states including Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh.