Vikram, a leading Tamil‑language actor, drew national headlines in August 2026 when a brief Instagram clip surfaced showing him cuddling a lar gibbon – a small, endangered ape native to Southeast Asia.
The video, removed within hours, prompted the Tamil Nadu Forest Department to launch a probe into how the animal appeared in a private residence and whether all legal permits stipulated by Indian wildlife law were secured.
Sources say the gibbon was kept by a relative of Vikram in Chennai, but the department has not yet confirmed that ownership was authorised under CITES, the United Nations treaty that restricts trade in endangered species. The chief wildlife warden emphasised that exotic animals must carry a DGFT permit, a no‑objection certificate, and a wildlife conservator’s certificate before entering the country.
Investigators have traced the animal’s route back over 2,000 km to the northeastern state of Manipur. Records on the government portal PARIVESH show that eight lar gibbons – four males and four females – were declared in 2020 by a Manipur resident and later transferred to Tamil Nadu in 2023. No documentation confirming the necessary permissions for these movements has been found.
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, India's federal agency that tackles organised wildlife crime, has joined the inquiry and may take action if the investigation uncovers violations.
The case arrives amid growing scrutiny of the illicit wildlife trade into India. Customs officials have repeatedly intercepted exotic reptiles, birds, and primates from Southeast Asian travellers, including 350 animals seized in 2025 and a gibbon captured in Bengaluru in November 2025. Chennai officials have also seized dozens of exotic animals from passengers arriving from Bangkok.
BBC News and the BBC Tamil newsroom have provided continuous coverage as the investigation unfolds.
