Fresh questions have emerged over the possession and movement of three Lar Gibbons after the Forest Department discovered that one of the animals acquired by an Erode breeder had died, with the death apparently not being reported to the authorities as required, as reported in The New Indian Express.
The development comes amid scrutiny of the gibbons after actor Vikram shared a video showing him with one of the animals at the residence of his daughter’s in-laws, who are also related to DMK family, in Chennai. Investigators are now examining not only the circumstances surrounding the animal’s presence in Chennai but also the documentation covering its movement from Manipur to Erode and then to the city.
A Forest Department team that inspected the Erode breeder’s premises on Tuesday found two Lar Gibbons, Erode District Forest Officer Venkata Appala Naidu told The New Indian Express. The officer said the breeder informed the team that the third animal, a female, had died.
The department had apparently not been informed of the death earlier. Officials were also yet to establish the animal’s age or determine the cause of its death.
The omission is significant under the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024. The rules require the death of a registered animal to be reported, along with a post-mortem report prepared by a veterinary practitioner.
Questions Over Original Ownership
Records examined in the case indicate that three Lar Gibbons — a male and two females — were moved from Manipur to Erode-based S K Keshavanathan in the first week of June.
CK Rangathan’s Erode supplier brought three Gibbons from Manipur.
One of them (a female) died and the forest department was not even informed.
Big break from @Krish_TNIE
The Gibbon issue gets murkier. https://t.co/zxxTYWsv5U pic.twitter.com/1KSXz50vZZ— Siddharth Prabhakar (@Sidprabhakar7) August 11, 2026
However, records relating to the animals’ earlier status in Manipur have raised questions about whether the transfer had the necessary legal basis.
Laikhuram Singh had declared possession of eight Lar Gibbons in 2020 under the exotic live species stock declaration process through Parivesh 1. The declaration listed Malaysia as the country of origin of the animals.
The same record indicated that the proposal was pending before the Chief Wildlife Warden. This raises questions over whether the required possession and transfer certificates had been obtained before the animals were subsequently moved.
The trail then leads from Erode to Chennai. A Form I dated August 5 records C K Ranganathan of Injambakkam as the transferee and describes the transaction as a purchase.
After the video involving Vikram triggered scrutiny, Ranganathan reportedly took the two surviving gibbons back to Erode. This movement has itself raised questions, as the legality of the animals’ documentation and chain of possession is already under examination.
What The Law Requires
The legal framework governing the animals places specific obligations on their owners and transferees.
Section 49M of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, requires the transfer of every Schedule IV living animal to be reported and registered. The provision also requires possession, transfer and breeding of such animals to comply with the Act and the rules made under it.
The death of a registered animal is also required to be reported.
The 2024 Rules prescribe that a transfer must be reported within 15 days. The prescribed Form I requires details including the transferor’s registration certificate and information relating to the transferee.
The issue, therefore, extends beyond the presence of a Lar Gibbon in a celebrity’s video. It concerns whether the animals had the necessary documentation at each stage of their movement, whether the prescribed transfers were properly reported and whether the death of one of the animals was dealt with in accordance with the rules.
Wildlife conservationists have questioned the response of the authorities in Chennai, particularly why the gibbons were not seized from the Injambakkam premises and why a case has not been registered despite the questions surrounding their documentation and possession.
Forest officials in Erode said they were awaiting directions from the department headquarters. They said further action could include seizure of the animals or assistance to the Chennai Forest Department, depending on the instructions received.
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