Chiyaan Vikram faces online backlash after he shares a video of himself interacting with a Lar Gibbon, a wild primate native to Southeast Asia. The clip spreads widely, prompting initial praise from some fans, but it soon draws criticism from others who raise questions about whether such an animal can be legally kept in India.
A journalist, Siddarth Prabhakar, says possession of a Lar Gibbon as a pet is illegal and alleges the animal was trafficked from Southeast Asia through multiple Indian locations before ending up at CK Ranganathan’s Chennai home. Prabhakar also claims the Tamil Nadu wildlife department takes action and that Vikram deletes the Instagram post following the controversy. Times of India similarly reports social-media backlash focused on exotic-animal legality and the animal’s alleged origins.
Both outlets frame the dispute as part of a broader concern about exotic wildlife held in personal collections, including whether required permissions and documentation are in place. While the reports highlight official scrutiny and online debate, they do not present definitive findings about the animal’s exact ownership chain or compliance status.
