Tamil Nadu to Manipur to Malaysia: Vikram’s viral Lar Gibbon video leads forest dept down a long trail
The viral video featuring actor Vikram playing with a Lar Gibbon, an endangered ape species native to Southeast Asia, sparked widespread outrage and drew attention from wildlife activists. The controversy led the Tamil Nadu Forest Department to investigate the gibbon's journey from Manipur to Chennai and beyond. Lar Gibbons are classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and are highly regulated under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act in India.
The investigation reveals a complex paper trail involving declarations, transfers, and applications for possession across different states and even Malaysia. The gibbon seen in the video is believed to be only two or three years old, which could potentially call into question its origin and legal possession.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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