3 weeks ago
Vikram's Lar Gibbon Video Sparks Wildlife Scrutiny, Forest Probe
A famous Indian actor named Chiyaan Vikram made a video with a wild animal called a Lar Gibbon, which is a kind of ape.
The video became very popular online.
Some people who care about animals are upset about it.
They want to know if it is okay for the actor to have this animal.
In India, there are special rules about keeping wild animals, and animals like the Lar Gibbon must be registered with wildlife officials using a website called PARIVESH 2.0.
Wildlife officers are now checking where the animal came from and whether all the papers are in order.
Some experts worry that poachers in Southeast Asia hurt or even kill a gibbon's family to catch a baby for sale.
Others say showing wild animals in videos can make people want to own them, even though a gibbon is not a pet.
Everyone is waiting to see what the wildlife officials find out.
Actor and playback singer Chiyaan Vikram posted a viral video of himself interacting with a Lar Gibbon, triggering a wildlife controversy.
Chennai Wildlife Warden Kulal Yogesh Vilas said officials will verify the primate's origin, purchase records and compliance documents.
Under the 2022 amendment, CITES-listed species such as the Lar Gibbon must be registered with the Chief Wildlife Warden through the PARIVESH 2.0 portal.
Cited records show the Lar Gibbon passed from Laikhuram Singh in Manipur to SK Keshavanathan in Erode before being sold to Chinni Krishna Ranganathan in Chennai.
Conservationists warn that young gibbons are often trafficked from Southeast Asia, with poachers killing parents to capture babies for the illegal pet trade.
- Who
- Actor and playback singer Chiyaan Vikram; scrutiny from animal rights activists and Chennai Wildlife Warden Kulal Yogesh Vilas.
- What
- A viral video of Vikram interacting with a Lar Gibbon raised questions about whether the primate is legally owned and registered under Indian wildlife law.
- Where
- India, with the Chennai Wildlife Warden leading verification; the Lar Gibbon is native to Southeast Asia.
- When
- The exact date is not specified in the articles; the controversy arose after the video went viral.
- Why
- To determine whether the Lar Gibbon is kept legally under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and CITES-linked regulations.
Legal Compliance View
Animal Welfare View
Exotic pet ownership
Legal Compliance View
Indian law does not impose a blanket ban on keeping exotic animals as pets; it is tightly regulated, and a registered CITES-listed species like the Lar Gibbon can be legally kept.
Animal Welfare View
A gibbon is a wild primate with complex behavioural and social needs; legality is only a floor, not a moral ceiling, and such an animal should not be treated as a pet.
Origin of the gibbon
Legal Compliance View
Authorities will verify the animal's source, purchase records and documentation, and cited records trace a chain of ownership within India.
Animal Welfare View
The gibbon was most likely trafficked from Southeast Asia, where poachers would have killed the parents and smuggled the baby for the illegal pet trade.
Celebrity influence
Legal Compliance View
The viral video drew public attention to wildlife law and prompted an official verification process.
Animal Welfare View
Celebrity images with exotic wildlife can glamourise ownership and create aspirational demand, even when the animal's legal status remains unclear.
Key facts
- Celebrity involved
- Chiyaan Vikram, actor and playback singer
- Animal in question
- Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar), CITES Appendix I species
- Governing law
- Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended 2022)
- Registration requirement
- Registration with Chief Wildlife Warden via PARIVESH 2.0 portal
- Related rules
- Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024
- Enquiry lead
- Kulal Yogesh Vilas, Chennai Wildlife Warden
- Reported ownership chain
- Manipur to Erode to Chennai
- Conservationist warning
- Gibbons likely trafficked from Southeast Asia; poachers may kill parents
Quotes
Kulal Yogesh Vilas
Chennai Wildlife Warden
“"A gibbon is a wild primate with complex behavioural and social needs. Legality is a floor, not a moral ceiling. Loving an animal and owning one that was never meant to be owned are not the same thing,"”
deccanchronicle.com
“"Indian law does not impose a blanket ban on keeping exotic animals as pets, but it is tightly regulated under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972,"”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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