Actor Vikram's visit to animal farm leads to investigation: Explained
What's the story
The Erode Forest Division has asked a Perundurai animal breeding farm owner to produce documents regarding two Lar Gibbons (Hylobates lar) found at his facility. The demand comes after an inspection by officials from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Chennai, and the Forest Department. The inquiry was initiated following a viral video of Tamil actor Vikram petting one of these endangered animals.
Document demand
Registration process was incomplete
K.V. Appala Naidu, District Forest Officer of Erode, told The Hindu that the registration process for the animals was incomplete.
The farm owner has been asked to produce the required documents on Friday.
"Though he had produced certain documents, there were some shortcomings," Naidu said.
"The documents sought included the registration certificate obtained by the Manipur-based owner from whom the animals were purchased," Naidu said.
Death inquiry
Details of female Lar Gibbon's death sought
The Forest Department has also sought details about the death of a female Lar Gibbon that wasn't reported to them.
"The death of a female Lar Gibbon was not reported to the authorities, as reporting such an incident is mandatory under the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024," Naidu said.
Controversy
Viral video of actor Vikram with a Lar Gibbon
The inspection of the farm owned by K. Keshavanathan was triggered by a viral video of Vikram playing with a Lar Gibbon.
The video drew criticism from wildlife activists for possessing an endangered species without proper documents. The actor later removed the video.
The Lar Gibbon is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Ownership transfer
Owner bought the animals from Manipur
The inquiry found that industrialist C.K. Ranganathan of Erode had bought two Lar Gibbons from the farm owner and shifted them to Chennai.
Ranganathan is the father-in-law of Vikram's daughter.
The farm owner had reportedly purchased the animals from Manipur and brought them to Perundurai.
Under exotic live species regulations, an owner must register with the Forest Department, declare their stock, and report any new animal acquisition within 30 days.
Registration delay
Delay in registration process
The two Lar Gibbons arrived at Perundurai on June 5, 2025.
However, the farm owner applied for registration only on August 9, 2025, and transferred the animals to Chennai on the same day.
"There was a delay of more than two months," Naidu said.
The DFO added that the registration process remained incomplete and the Forest Department was examining the documents produced by the farm owner.