Actor Vikram. File photo: Instagram/@the_real_chiyaan.
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has sought an ownership certificate and other documents from individuals for possession of a Lar Gibbon, after a video of actor Vikram playing with and hugging the animal went viral and drew backlash.Yogesh Kulal, Wildlife Warden, Chennai, said the animal has since been moved to Erode from businessman C.K. Ranganathan’s residence in Injambakkam.The Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar) is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Its import requires the requisite CITES import and export permissions, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) documentation and permission from the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State to which it is being imported.Sources said the trail of the Lar Gibbons can be traced to Erode and, before that, to Manipur. As per records, a Manipur-based stockholder, Laikhuram Singh, declared eight Lar Gibbons — four males and four females — in 2020 under the declaration of stock of exotic live species through PARIVESH 1. The records identify Malaysia as their country of origin.
The Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar) is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). File photo: Special arrangement.
