Now Reading: Actor Vikram faces flak for flaunting endangered gibbon
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Actor Vikram faces flak for flaunting endangered gibbon
Tamil actor Vikram is under fire after posting a video of himself with a lar gibbon, a species listed as endangered under the IUCN Red List and protected under CITES Appendix I…
The Story in Brief
Tamil actor Vikram is under fire after posting a video of himself with a lar gibbon, a species listed as endangered under the IUCN Red List and protected under CITES Appendix I and India's Wildlife Protection Act. Conservationists criticised the actor for keeping the primate as a pet, noting such confinement harms the arboreal animal's behaviour. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau said it will verify the actor's ownership documents. The post showed a well-grown adult, leading to concerns that illegal breeding and trade of the species is rampant across the country.
The Indian Opinion
This is another case of celebrities normalising wildlife crime. The 'cute pet' narrative hides a brutal reality: for every gibbon in a cage, its family is dead. The Wildlife Act is clear, but enforcement is weak. The question is not just whether Vikram has papers, but how the pet trade thrives while authorities look the other way. Watch if the forest department files a charge sheet and names the breeder.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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