Indian actor's video with endangered gibbon sparks investigation

A video posted by a Tamil film star showing him cuddling an endangered gibbon has triggered an investigation by Indian wildlife officials over how he came into contact with the animal.

Vikram, an award-winning actor from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, was seen hugging and playing with a lar gibbon in a now-deleted video posted on Instagram on Monday.

The state's forest department has since begun investigating how the gibbon came to be at a private home and whether rules governing its possession and transfer were followed.

They have not concluded that the animal was trafficked, or that Vikram owned it or was involved in bringing it into India.

Vikram has not commented on the controversy yet. His public relations officer, Yuvaraj, told BBC Tamil that the media would be informed if the actor issued a statement.

Lar gibbons are small apes native to south-east Asia whose international trade is tightly controlled.

Officials said the animal was being kept at the home of a relative of Vikram in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state.

The state's Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra told BBC Tamil that individuals could keep a lar gibbon if they had the permits and documentation required by law.