Saving Slow Lorises

Wide-eyed Canon clung tightly to the bars of her tiny cage. Days earlier, she had roamed free in a rainforest in West Java, Indonesia. Now she was locked away. She had been kidnapped by a pet trader.

Wide-eyed Canon huddled in a tiny cage. She clung tightly to the bars. Days earlier, she had roamed free in a rainforest. Her home was in West Java, Indonesia. Now she was locked away. A pet trader had kidnapped her.

Canon is a slow loris, a type of primate that lives in Asia (see Forest Home). People find lorises’ big eyes and sloth-like movements adorable. But the animals’ cuddly appearance has put them in harm’s way.

Poachers illegally catch hundreds of wild lorises every year. Traders sell the animals at street markets or on the internet. “People see how cute they are and want them as pets,” says Helena Fitch-Snyder. She’s a primate expert at the University of California, Davis.

Canon is a slow loris. A loris is a type of primate. Lorises live in Asia (see Forest Home). People find lorises’ big eyes and slow movements cute. But the animals’ cuddly look has put them in harm’s way.

Poachers illegally catch hundreds of wild lorises every year. Traders sell the animals at street markets or on the internet. “People see how cute they are and want them as pets,” says Helena Fitch-Snyder. She’s a primate expert. She works at the University of California, Davis. 

The captured animals are often mistreated. Many fall ill or die. Meanwhile, viral videos of people playing with lorises have made pet owners want them even more (see Mistaken for Pets). As a result of this and other threats, slow lorises are among the most endangered primates in the world.

An organization in West Java called International Animal Rescue (IAR) is trying to help. The team there works with local authorities to rescue and rehabilitate captured lorises. This past May, they released 30 animals back into the wild—their most yet.

The captured animals are often treated badly. Many fall ill or die. Meanwhile, videos of people playing with lorises have popped up online. That’s made pet owners want them even more. These and other threats are harming slow lorises. They’re among the most endangered primates in the world.

An organization in West Java is trying to help. It’s called International Animal Rescue (IAR). The team there works with local authorities. Together, they rescue and rehabilitate captured lorises. They released 30 animals back into the wild this past May. That’s their most yet. 

Indonesian locals call the slow loris malu malu, or “shy one.” That’s because lorises are nocturnal animals. They hide in treetops to sleep during the day and come out only at night.

Even when they’re awake, lorises stay incredibly quiet and still. When they’re threatened, they don’t usually fight or run away. Instead, they freeze in place and sometimes cover their faces with their arms.

Unfortunately, this bashful behavior makes lorises easy targets. Poachers can simply pluck a loris off a branch or shoot it so it falls down.

Indonesian locals call the slow loris malu malu. That means “shy one.” That’s because lorises are nocturnal animals. They come out only at night. They hide in treetops to sleep during the day.

Lorises stay very quiet and still even when they’re awake. They don’t usually fight or run away when they’re threatened. Instead, they freeze in place. Sometimes they also cover their faces with their arms.

Sadly, this behavior makes lorises easy targets. Poachers can simply nab a loris off a branch. Or they shoot it so it falls down.

In captivity, however, lorises can be vicious. Their bites are toxic and extremely painful. “They may have sweet little faces, but they’re still wild animals,” says Fitch-Snyder. “People don’t understand that they’re not suitable pets.” 

Traders often trim or pull out lorises’ teeth to keep the animals from biting. But this can cause infections and make it hard for lorises to eat. “A lot of them die,” says Fitch-Snyder. “It’s a very sad situation.”

Lorises can be vicious when kept in cages, however. Their bites are toxic and extremely painful. “They may have sweet little faces,” says Fitch-Snyder. “But they’re still wild animals. People don’t understand that they’re not suitable pets.”

Traders often trim or pull out lorises’ teeth. That keeps the animals from biting. But this can cause infections. And it makes it hard for the lorises to eat. “A lot of them die,” says Fitch-Snyder. “It’s a very sad situation.”

In October 2016, rescuers found Canon along with 33 other lorises. They were stuffed into cramped cages in a trader’s home. Luckily, most of the animals’ teeth were still intact. But they were suffering in other ways.

“Lorises are quite timid. They don’t like to be handled,” says Christine Rattel. She runs IAR’s slow loris rescue center in Bogor, West Java. Being around humans, and even other lorises, is stressful for the shy animals.

Rescuers found Canon in October 2016. She was with 33 other lorises. They were stuffed into cramped cages in a trader’s home. Luckily, most of the animals’ teeth were still intact. But the lorises were suffering in other ways.

“Lorises are quite timid. They don’t like to be handled,” says Christine Rattel. She runs IAR’s slow loris rescue center. It’s in Bogor, West Java. Being around people, and even other lorises, is stressful for the shy animals.

Some of the rescued lorises had serious injuries. When a veterinarian examined Canon, she found three small bullets in the loris’s head. Canon had also lost an eye. But the vet made a happy discovery: Canon was pregnant!

At the rehabilitation center, the rescued lorises received medical care and regained their strength. A few days later, Canon gave birth to a healthy baby loris named Chestnut.

Some of the rescued lorises had serious injuries. A veterinarian examined Canon. She found three small bullets in the loris’s head. Canon had also lost an eye. But the vet made a happy discovery: Canon was pregnant!

The rescued lorises got medical care at the rehabilitation center. There, they regained their strength. Canon gave birth a few days later. She had a healthy baby loris named Chestnut.

Before they can return to the wild, many lorises must relearn the skills they need to survive. Captured lorises can get used to being fed by humans. They don’t have to hunt for their natural foods like insects, bird eggs, and tree sap.

Rattel’s team teaches these lorises to find snacks in the wild. Workers collect food from the forest and hide it in the animals’ enclosures. Over time, the lorises learn to sniff out their meals.

Many rescued lorises must relearn the skills they need to survive. Then they can return to the wild. Captured lorises can get used to being fed by humans. They don’t have to hunt for their natural foods. These include insects, bird eggs, and tree sap.

Rattel’s team teaches these lorises to find snacks in the wild. Workers collect food from the forest. They hide it in the animals’ cages. The lorises learn to sniff out their meals over time.