Forest Dept Probes Lar Gibbon Ownership After Video With Actor Vikram Goes Viral

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has sought an ownership certificate and legal documentation regarding the possession of an endangered Lar Gibbon, after a viral video showing actor Vikram playing with and hugging the animal at a residence in Injambakkam, Chennai, drew public backlash. Following the incident, Chennai Wildlife Warden Yogesh Kulal confirmed that the primate was transferred from the Injambakkam residence of businessman C.K. Ranganathan to Erode.

The Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar) is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Importing the species requires requisite CITES import and export permissions, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) documentation, and explicit authorization from the Chief Wildlife Warden of the importing state.

According to officials, the trail of the gibbons traces back to Manipur and Erode. In 2020, a Manipur-based stockholder named Laikhuram Singh declared eight Lar Gibbons—four males and four females originating from Malaysia—under the PARIVESH 1 portal. Subsequent records under the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024, logged the transfer of three gibbons from Singh to S.K. Keshavanathan in Perundurai, Erode, for adoption.

During an inspection in Erode, District Forest Officer K.V. Appala Naidu reported finding one male and one female gibbon on the premises. While Keshavanathan stated he had applied for three animals and that one had previously died, forest officials are verifying whether the animal actually died or if an undocumented transfer took place. Department sources noted that Ranganathan obtained the animals from Keshavanathan, but official approval for the transfer certificate remains pending.

Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra confirmed that the department is examining the circumstances under which the animals reached Tamil Nadu and whether all statutory requirements governing their transfer were met.

Wildlife and animal welfare activist Antony Clement Rubin warned that keeping primates as pets increases the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. He added that a prominent celebrity sharing videos with a Lar Gibbon risks fueling demand for vulnerable species trafficked through illegal networks.