A clip posted by the popular Tamil film star Vikram shows him playing with a lar gibbon, an endangered ape native to Southeast Asia. The video, which was taken down within hours of posting, sparked an investigation by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department into how the primate came to be in a private residence.
The gibbon was reportedly housed at a relative’s home in Chennai. Officials say a formal inquiry is underway to determine whether the animal was legally imported and whether all required permits were in place, as mandated by Indian wildlife law and the CITES agreement.
Records review shows the gibbons were transferred from Manipur to a person in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district in June, then moved to Vikram’s relative in August. However, documentation confirming permission for these moves has not yet been presented.
Manipur’s border with Myanmar positions it as a potential route for illegal wildlife trafficking, raising caution among wildlife officials. The Indian Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has joined the probe, emphasizing the need for strict adherence to protection regulations for CITES-listed species.
India’s recent seizures of exotic animals at airports underline the growing challenge: in the past year, customs services intercepted hundreds of animals, including gibbons, from Southeast Asian travelers. This incident underscores the need for vigilant enforcement to guard the nation’s endangered fauna.
