Forest Department officials in Erode said action is being initiated to seize rare lar gibbon monkeys, after securing permission from the court.
The issue surfaced after a video shared by actor Vikram showed the animals at a farm house in Injambakkam, Chennai, owned by a person identified as Ranganathan, triggering public controversy.
During the inquiry, officials said an industrialist from Perundurai in Erode district, Keshavanathan, had purchased the monkeys and later took them back amid the backlash. The Erode forest team conducted an inspection at his farm house and issued a notice.
In his response, Keshavanathan reportedly stated that the monkeys were brought from Manipur and that he had applied to the Forest Department for registration. He also gave an explanation regarding the removal of one of the three monkeys that died, which he had not informed the department about.
Officials added that Keshavanathan has registered seven African cats—four purchased from Kerala and Hyderabad and three kittens born to them. However, senior officials will decide on penalties and further action for the alleged violations related to keeping lar gibbons, and seizure proceedings are being pursued with court approval.
