“The Bornean slow loris is one of the two cryptic nocturnal primates, with the Western tarsier, which lives in Borneo. It is the only species equipped with a toxic defence and hunting mechanism, producing a toxin or poison by combining its saliva with secretions from its upper arms," explained Danica Stark, a primatologist based at DGFC and involved in the project.
“Although slow lorises are protected by law from international and commercial trade, the greatest growing threat to slow lorises is the illegal pet trade, being the second most common primate species owned as pets in Asia, next to macaques," explained Dr Laurentius Ambu, director of the Sabah Wildlife Department.
“They have also become an important species for medicinal and ornamental trade. Lorises face extremely high mortality rates in markets and transport of them, due to starvation, dehydration and infections from dental health injuries, as their teeth are removed to increase their sales," added Ambu.
“As part of our ongoing Nocturnal Primate Project funded by Columbus Zoo and Cleveland Zoological Society in the US, the slow loris was caught by DGFC staff and brought into our lab where he was weighed and body measurements taken," said Dr Benoit Goossens, director of Danau Girang Field Centre. Read the full report here.
Source: Borneo Post, Kinabatangan.
