Indian actor's video with endangered gibbon sparks investigation

What the report says

Indian wildlife officials have opened an inquiry after a deleted Instagram video showed Tamil actor Vikram holding and playing with a lar gibbon, an endangered ape whose international trade is tightly restricted. BBC World News reported that the clip, posted on Monday and quickly removed, raised questions about how the animal reached a private home connected to the actor in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

According to the report, the Tamil Nadu forest department is checking whether rules on possession, transfer and transport of the animal were followed. Officials have not concluded that the gibbon was trafficked or that Vikram owned it or helped bring it into India. Vikram, whose legal name is Kennedy John Victor, has not issued a public comment, while his representative said any statement would be shared if one is made.

The investigation has widened beyond Chennai to Manipur in India’s northeast, after records on the government’s PARIVESH portal suggested a Manipur resident had registered a group of lar gibbons in 2020. BBC World News said officials are tracing the animals’ movements through a series of transfers, including one to Tamil Nadu earlier this year and another later to a relative of Vikram. Authorities are also reviewing whether the required permits were obtained for movement within India and for any international wildlife documentation under CITES-related rules.

The case has drawn attention because lar gibbons are protected under international and Indian wildlife law, and because India has repeatedly faced concerns about the illegal import and trade of exotic animals.