In a plot twist that no one saw coming (except, perhaps, every wildlife official in India), a Tamil film star's Instagram video of himself cuddling an endangered gibbon has sparked an official investigation. Vikram, the award-winning actor from Tamil Nadu, posted a now-deleted video on Monday showing him hugging and playing with a lar gibbon. The state's forest department, presumably not in the market for adorable content, has launched an inquiry into how the gibbon ended up at a private home and whether the rules governing its possession and transfer were followed.
Officials haven't concluded that the animal was trafficked, or that Vikram owned it or had anything to do with its arrival in India. Vikram, whose real name is Kennedy John Victor, has yet to comment, though his PR officer Yuvaraj told BBC Tamil that the media would be informed if the actor issues a statement. Lar gibbons, for the uninitiated, are small apes native to south-east Asia, covered in blonde or dark brown fur with a distinctive white ring around their faces. They're endangered, threatened by habitat loss, hunting, and the illegal pet trade, and their international trade is tightly controlled under CITES.
The animal was being kept at the home of a relative of Vikram in Chennai, the state capital. Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra told BBC Tamil that individuals can keep a lar gibbon with the proper permits and documentation. "An investigation is under way into where the lar gibbon came from. Only then can we say whether it was brought illegally," he said, in a statement that suggests the answer might not be a resounding 'yes'.
The case has made national headlines, because of course it has. Vikram is one of the biggest names in Tamil cinema, with a career spanning over three decades and a reputation for taking on unconventional, physically demanding roles. Apparently, cuddling a gibbon was one of them.
The investigation has led officials on a trail stretching over 2,000km (1,240 miles) to the north-eastern state of Manipur. A senior Tamil Nadu forest official, speaking anonymously to BBC Tamil, said the animal was among eight lar gibbons (four males, four females) that a Manipur-based man had declared on the government's PARIVESH portal in 2020, with Malaysia listed as the country of origin. Records show that on 5 June this year, one male and two female lar gibbons were transferred from Manipur to a person in Perundurai in Tamil Nadu's Erode district, for the stated purpose of adoption. But investigators haven't found documentation showing permission from Tamil Nadu's Chief Wildlife Warden was obtained for the animals to enter the state.
Two months later, on 5 August, one male and one female gibbon were transferred from Perundurai to Vikram's relative in Chennai, according to the Forest Department's investigation. Investigators are now trying to establish the precise origins of the gibbons and whether the necessary documentation was in place at each stage of their journey. Wildlife activists have also raised questions about how the animals originally entered India, noting that Manipur borders Myanmar and India's north-east has been flagged as a route for illegal wildlife trade, though authorities haven't concluded trafficking in this case.
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is examining documentation, including whether rules governing international movement and possession of CITES-listed animals were followed. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), a federal agency, has also gotten involved. Thenmozhi, the bureau's Southern Zone Deputy Director, told BBC Tamil that it had written to wildlife officials in Chennai asking them to verify documents and take appropriate action. "The lar gibbon is classified as a protected species under this agreement. They should only be handled as protected animals," she said, referring to CITES.
This case comes amid wider concern about illegal trade of exotic animals into India. In recent years, customs officials have repeatedly intercepted passengers from south-east Asia with live reptiles, birds, and primates concealed in their luggage. In July 2025, more than 350 exotic animals from Bangkok were seized at Mumbai and Pune airports over two months. Gibbons have also turned up in seizures: in November, customs officials in Bengaluru found one among exotic animals brought in by passengers from Bangkok. Chennai itself has seen several such cases, including in February this year, when customs officials seized 31 exotic animals from a passenger arriving from Bangkok, including tortoises, iguanas, and snakes.
So, while Vikram's video may have been deleted, the questions it raised are very much alive. And they're not just about who gets to cuddle a gibbon, but about the paper trail that supposedly governs such cuddles. Stay tuned for the next episode of 'As the Gibbon Turns'.