Actor Vikram flaunts lar gibbon; conservationists raise red flag
Indian actor Vikram is facing backlash from conservationists after posting a video featuring a lar gibbon, an endangered species protected under CITES. Wildlife authorities are investigating the origin of the primate to determine if it was acquired legally.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the ongoing issue of illegal exotic pet trade and the role of public figures in normalizing the ownership of threatened wildlife.
CHENNAI: Actor Vikram found himself in the middle of an uproar, within moments after uploading a reel of him playing with a lar gibbon (Hylobates lar), which is a threatened species protected under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES).The reel, which went viral, shocked conservationists as they disapproved of the exotic primate being kept as a pet in Chennai.When contacted, deputy director of wildlife crime control bureau (southern region) V Thenmozhi said whenever issues of this kind arise, they seek the help of state wildlife authorities to check the pet owner for valid documents to ascertain from where the exotic pet was sourced.Chennai wildlife warden Kulal Yogesh Vilas said the lar gibbon is protected under Appendix I of CITES.
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