On May 1, 2026, a U.S. citizen arrived at São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport, where Brazilian authorities seized his three mobile phones and a computer as part of a wildlife trafficking investigation. The Brazilian Federal Police said the action was linked to an ongoing probe into the illegal trafficking of endangered Brazilian wildlife species, including the golden lion tamarin, Lear’s macaw, and others.

Although Brazilian police officials did not officially reveal the suspect’s identity, sources quoted by Mongabay identified the man as Tony Silva. Silva is a well-known bird expert and exotic bird collector who is not new to such cases. In the 1990s, he was convicted in the United States for smuggling rare birds from South America.

Authorities also suspect that Silva may have been working for Vantara, a massive private animal rescue and zoo project based in Gujarat, India. According to reports, he may have helped illegally acquire endangered animals for Vantara, which is run by Anant Ambani, the son of India’s richest businessman, Mukesh Ambani.

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In an email response to Mongabay, Vantara denied any involvement in illegal wildlife trade. In its statement, the organisation denied having any connection to Silva. “Vantara has no connection with the buying of illegal animals, and any suggestion to the contrary is incorrect,” the organisation said.

The statement further added, “Mr. Tony Silva is not, and has never been, an employee of Vantara. Vantara understands that he has been engaged by an independent contractor for limited consultancy relating to enclosure curation, husbandry and nutrition, considering his published work and experience in that field. He does not speak for, act for, or represent Vantara.”

Vantara further stated, “Accordingly, any attempt to link Mr. Silva’s personal affairs to Vantara, directly or by implication, would be factually incorrect and legally untenable.” The organisation also explained that it is a private animal rescue and rehabilitation centre that is not open to the public. It claims to legally rescue and care for captive animals by providing medical treatment, shelter, and better living conditions while operating according to the law.

However, despite there being no official connection between Silva and Vantara, Silva has publicly appeared to be linked to the organisation in recent years. At a bird conference in Thailand in 2025, he was described as someone “leading conservation” at the zoo. Apart from this, a bird expert also associated him with Vantara in a social media post. Silva himself had also shared information online about a conference planned at Vantara in 2026.

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Authorities are currently investigating whether endangered Brazilian species, including golden lion tamarins, Lear’s macaws, and black bearded saki monkeys, were illegally obtained and moved through international trafficking networks. Brazil has witnessed several recent wildlife trafficking cases involving these species.

Tony Silva is a Cuban-born U.S. citizen who became famous among exotic bird collectors and has worked with conservation groups focused on parrots. While he has also worked in wildlife conservation, his past includes serious wildlife crimes. In 1996, after a long undercover investigation by U.S. Fish and Wildlife authorities, Silva was sentenced to nearly seven years in prison and fined $100,000 for smuggling more than 185 rare birds, including endangered hyacinth macaws.

Vantara itself has drawn global attention since opening in 2025. Spread across 1,400 hectares in Gujarat, the facility describes itself as the world’s largest animal rescue and rehabilitation centre, housing more than 150,000 animals from around 2,000 species. Many of these animals were imported from different countries, including endangered species such as cheetahs, chimpanzees, and orangutans. The zoo has repeatedly faced questions regarding the origin of some animals.

Silva had also recently travelled to Brazil to attend Avicon, a major bird breeders’ conference held in São Paulo state in April. Before the alleged airport seizure, he also visited parts of Bahia state, where he recorded videos near habitats of the endangered Lear’s macaw.

Brazilian authorities said the investigation is still ongoing. The seized phones and computer will now undergo forensic examination as investigators attempt to uncover possible international wildlife trafficking networks.

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