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The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is examining how a lar gibbon came to be at a private property in Chennai where actor Chiyaan Vikram filmed himself cuddling and interacting with the animal. Officials demanded ownership certificates and supporting documents from those connected to the primate’s possession after the video drew widespread attention and criticism. The department has linked the animal to transfers involving a breeder in Erode who received specimens from a stockholder in Manipur several years earlier.
During the inquiry forest officials discovered that one of three lar gibbons associated with the Erode facility had died without any report filed to authorities, according to the Times of India. The two surviving animals were moved back to the Erode site while investigators continue tracing the full chain of custody and required permits. Chennai Wildlife Warden Kulal Yogesh Vilas indicated that a forest ranger would be sent to confirm details of the primate’s background and documentation.
Lar gibbons are classified as endangered by the IUCN and listed on Appendix I of CITES, which bans commercial international trade in the species. India’s Wildlife Protection Act was amended in 2022 to strengthen alignment with CITES rules, criminalizing unlicensed possession of such non-native protected animals. Proper ownership demands explicit approval from the chief wildlife warden along with import records and DGFT documentation.[[1]](https://news.mongabay.com/2025/01/increase-in-gibbon-trafficking-into-india-has-conservationists-worried/)[[2]](https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2026/Aug/11/forest-dept-begins-probe-after-vikrams-lar-gibbon-video-spotlights-exotic-animal-trade-in-tn)
TRAFFIC monitoring data shows India was involved in 26 of 33 recorded gibbon smuggling incidents over the past decade, often as a destination country. More than 336 individual gibbons were confiscated across South and Southeast Asia from 2016 through August 2025, the organisation’s analysis found. Conservation groups have raised alarms about rising demand for these primates as exotic pets, which has intensified pressure on already declining wild populations.[[3]](https://www.traffic.org/news/gibbons-in-peril-as-trafficking-peaks/)
The episode has drawn attention to concerns over wildlife breeders in Tamil Nadu potentially providing cover for illegal trafficking networks, an Earth Journalism Network report from 2024 noted. Chennai airport has featured prominently in wildlife seizure statistics, accounting for more than 36 percent of such cases at Indian airports in certain periods. Authorities are reviewing whether the transfers in this instance complied with all regulatory steps for exotic live species.
Vikram removed the Instagram post after it sparked public debate over possible violations of wildlife laws, though the actor has not issued a public statement on the matter. The investigation centers on compliance and documentation rather than targeting the performer directly at this stage. The case adds to a pattern of scrutiny surrounding private interactions with protected species in the state.
