Chiyaan Vikram Faces Heat Over Gibbon Video

Tamil actor Chiyaan Vikram is facing criticism after a video featuring him with a Lar Gibbon created a debate on social media. The video showed Vikram spending some time with the animal. At first, many people found the video interesting and praised the actor’s interaction with the animal. However, the situation changed after questions were raised about whether the animal could legally be kept as a pet in India.

A Lar Gibbon is a wild animal found mainly in parts of Southeast Asia. It is also protected under international wildlife trade rules. The species comes under CITES, which places strict controls on the international trade and movement of certain animals.

According to reports, the video was connected to businessman CK Ranganathan, who is Vikram’s daughter Akshita’s father-in-law. Ranganathan is the founder and chairman of CavinKare. Reports claimed that the animal had been brought from Manipur to Erode in Tamil Nadu in June.

The video was reportedly removed within a day. However, by then, it had already attracted attention from wildlife activists and social media users. Questions were raised about the documents and permissions needed to keep such an exotic animal.

Reports also said that Chennai Wildlife Warden Yogen Kulala visited Ranganathan’s home after the video became controversial. An enquiry was reportedly started to check the circumstances surrounding the animal and its possession.

The controversy has also started a wider discussion about exotic animals being kept by wealthy people. Some social media users questioned whether rich and famous people receive different treatment when wildlife rules are involved. Others said that proper permissions and documents should be checked before keeping any protected animal.

However, it is important to note that the legal position depends on how the animal was acquired, transported and kept, along with the required documents and permissions.