In Pictures: 30 Slow Lorises Released Back Into The Rainforest

The endangered primates were being kept illegally as pets, where they had likely been poached from the wild. Now, after a lengthy rehabilitation, the lorises have returned to their forest home.

Credit: International Animal Rescue Indonesia/BKSDA

Conservationists have reintroduced 30 Javan slow lorises back into their natural habitat at a rainforest in Indonesia.

The slow loris in Indonesia is in danger of extinction, with the illegal trade in wildlife the main threat to the species, according to International Animal Rescue (IAR) Indonesia. 

The illegal wildlife trade has been fuelled in recent years through the popularity of YouTube videos where the nocturnal primates are showcased as exotic ‘pets’. But this internet craze is resulting in thousands of the species being poached from the wild and illegally sold on the street or at animal markets. And to make the wild primates easier to handle, traders clip the slow lorises’ teeth, which can often result in their death through blood loss or infection.

Now this latest release shows lorises having a second chance at life after being kept illegally as pets. Their rescue comes after multiple conservation groups worked together, with the Centre for Natural Resources Conservation (BBKSDA) collaborating with the Mt Halimun Salak National Park (TNGHS) and International Animal Rescue (IAR) Indonesia.

The lorises spent nearly two weeks in a habitation enclosure first, so that they could be monitored and re-adapt to their new surroundings.

“During the habituation process, the team in the field continues to observe and record their progress every night. If, during the habituation period, all lorises are active and don't have any abnormal behaviours, then they can be released into the wild," explained Ammy Nurwati, who leads the Centre for Natural Resources Conservation (BBKSDA). 

The team also had to deal with the current pandemic: the lorises all had to be tested for COVID-19 to ensure that there was no risk of transmitting the virus to wild populations.

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