An investigation has been launched into the movement of two gibbons within India's Tamil Nadu state after a video of popular actor Vikram with one of the endangered primates surfaced online and was subsequently deleted. The inquiry, led by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department and involving the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), aims to verify the animals' documentation and ascertain their origin.
Records indicate that on June 5, one male and two female lar gibbons were transferred from Manipur to a person in Perundurai, Erode district, for adoption. However, investigators have yet to find documentation confirming that permission from Tamil Nadu's Chief Wildlife Warden was obtained for the animals to enter the state. Two months later, on August 5, one male and one female gibbon were moved from Perundurai to a relative of Vikram in Chennai, according to the Forest Department.
Investigators are working to establish the precise origins of the gibbons and whether proper documentation was in place at each stage of their journey. Wildlife activists have also raised questions about how the animals initially entered India, noting that Manipur shares a border with Myanmar, a region identified as a potential route for illegal exotic wildlife trade. Authorities have not yet concluded that these gibbons were trafficked.
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is examining the relevant documentation, including adherence to rules governing the international movement and possession of CITES-listed animals. The lar gibbon is classified as a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The WCCB, a federal agency responsible for investigating organized wildlife crime, has requested wildlife officials in Chennai to verify documents and take appropriate action. The WCCB stated that further steps would depend on the findings of their investigation.
This case emerges amidst broader concerns over the illegal trade of exotic animals into India. Customs officials have recently intercepted numerous passengers arriving from Southeast Asia carrying live reptiles, birds, and primates in their luggage. In July, over 350 exotic animals arriving from Bangkok were seized at Mumbai and Pune airports within a two-month period. Gibbons have also been found in such seizures, including one discovered among exotic animals brought by passengers arriving from Bangkok in Bengaluru in November. Chennai has also seen similar incidents, with customs officials seizing 31 exotic animals, including tortoises, iguanas, and snakes, from a passenger arriving from Bangkok in February.