About a year ago, a tourist passing through Delhi airport was caught with a slender loris in his pocket. This terrified endangered nocturnal animal was rescued and handed over to the National Zoological Park. The animal that weighs anywhere between 500-750 grams, is set to get a permanent home at the zoo.
Speaking about the new inmate, zoo veterinarian Paneer Selvam said: “The slender loris belongs to the monkey family and is on the endangered list. This animal was found with a tourist who had brought it from Indonesia and was smuggling it to an Arab country. The animal is kept as pet and can be easily smuggled because of its small size.”
The slender loris has extremely thin arms and legs. Its face is dominated by huge round eyes, which give it excellent night vision that enable it to hunt for insects during the night. Their numbers are declining because their forest habitats are being destroyed for logging, agriculture and development.
“The animal is currently quarantined at the zoo hospital. It will soon be in an enclosure visible to visitors. It will stay in an enclosure made of bamboo and other natural materials, which is as close to the animal’s natural environment as possible. It is healthy and doing well, and we are hopeful of shifting it to the enclosure soon,” added Dr. Selvam.
The slender loris housed at the zoo is male and nearly three-and-a-half year-old.