Eyes in the Dark

Yesterday evening I met a slow Loris for the first time. He required de-worming and so we made our way down to the Loris enclosure. They are nocturnal so the only chance I’ve had to observe them so far is sleeping. The first time all I saw was his bushy bottom sticking out of a box hanging in a tree. We spoke in whispers and observed his lower half. The second time I filmed a hairy ball with his tiny hands around the bars of his enclosure, sleeping the afternoon away in the warmth of the sun.

This time around we approached with headlamps with red gels which are easier on their huge yellow eyes. Filming was difficult but it was a treat to see this little creature. It’s very easy to see why they are popular as pets as they have all those “cute” attributes that humans adore. With huge, round eyes into which one can project all the innocence of the world, long soft fur, tiny soft hands with a grip like that of a human infant and a musky, infant like smell, slow Lorises look like sweet little aliens who just whirred in on a flying saucer from a jungle planet.

This young male weighed approximately 650grams – big for his age and well on the way to his adult size of around a Kilogram. Karmele gently pried him from his branch to inspect him. He seemed quite comfortable on her arm. She then held his head in one hand and orally administered the de-worming medicine with the other with a simple syringe.

Had his canines not been cruelly removed, likely by way of pliers and without any anesthetic, she would never have been able to handle him this way, she explained.

Lorises are omnivorous, hunting insects and small animals as well as consuming some fruit. Although we might project cuteness onto them they are wild animals and to fulfill their Loris existence they need to roam and hunt at night.

Lorises are aggressive, territorial and equipped with sharp canines for ripping and tearing flesh. This makes them remarkably ill-suited to be pets, all big-eyed cuteness aside, and this becomes apparent as they grow up and give their captors a nasty bite or two. In much the same way as baby Macaques are seen as ideal pet material and later grow to be an unpredictable, irritable nuisance, so it is with Lorises and thus the torturous tooth -removal.

Lorises end up at the rescue center when people no longer want to keep them or they are confiscated by the police or forestry. Like many wild animals Lorises are losing their natural habitat to development and logging. In addition to their being used as pets they are hunted to be used as an ingredient in a traditional aphrodisiac. The goal at IAR is to rehabilitate and reintroduce them into the wild. Unfortunately those without canines, or lacking the necessary skills to survive in the wild may have to be kept their life long in captivity.

On a more positive note, Lorises seem to retain their instincts in captivity and are good candidates for reintroduction to the wild. That’s supposing they have suitable habitat to return to.

Raising awareness of indigenous wildlife and their needs is one of the goals of the educational programs at IAR. They hope that an increased awareness will put an end to the market for Lorises and Macaques, among other wildlife, as pets.

While it’s a pleasure to be have the opportunity to film a Loris in his spacious enclosure it would be a far greater pleasure to see him zip off out of sight into the jungle. When she feels he has the necessary survival skills that’s exactly what Karmele plans to do.