Actor Vikram flaunts lar gibbon; conservationists raise red flag
The reel, which went viral, shocked conservationists as they disapproved of the exotic primate being kept as a pet in Chennai.
Chennai: Actor Vikram stirred controversy after posting a video of himself interacting with a lar gibbon, a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES). Conservationists expressed concern over the exotic primate being kept as a pet in the city. V Thenmozhi, deputy director of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, stated that authorities would seek state wildlife authorities' assistance to verify the source of the pet and check for valid documentation.
The lar gibbon is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN and is protected under Appendix I of CITES, categorizing it as a Schedule IV animal under the amended Wildlife Protection Act. A forest ranger would be dispatched to investigate the origin of the species, the source of purchase, and the validity of the pet owner's documents.
Native to the wild, baby lar gibbons are often captured by killing their mothers, and poaching entire families for a single specimen is not uncommon. Confining such animals in enclosures can disrupt their natural behavior patterns, as they are arboreal creatures requiring large tree canopies for mobility.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
