Indian actor's video with endangered gibbon sparks investigation

A Tamil film star named Vikram, also known as Kennedy John Victor, posted a video on Instagram showing him cuddling an endangered gibbon. The video, which has since been deleted, sparked an investigation by Indian wildlife officials. The state's forest department is looking into how the gibbon, a lar gibbon, came to be at Vikram's relative's home in Chennai.

Officials say that while the gibbon may not have been trafficked, it's unclear whether Vikram had the proper permits and documentation to keep it. Lar gibbons are small apes native to southeast Asia and are listed as endangered. Their international trade is tightly controlled. Wildlife officials are now tracing the gibbon's journey, which began in Manipur, a northeastern state, where it was registered on an official portal in 2020.