
- Bangladeshi authorities have requested assistance from Interpol to repatriate two critically endangered ring-tailed lemurs stolen from Gazipur Safari Park in March 2025.
- The stolen animals were reportedly smuggled across the border into India and sold to an institution linked to the Vantara wildlife centre for nearly Rs 4.8 million.
- Located in Gujarat, Vantara is a 3,500-acre private zoo backed by Reliance Industries, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's family.
- Investigators revealed that six of eight suspects have confessed to the smuggling scheme, which involved a safari park security guard and a border lineman.
- Repatriation is complicated by the animals' lack of microchips or stored DNA, leading authorities to conduct DNA profiling on a remaining juvenile lemur in Bangladesh to verify identity.
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