Scientists highlight need of a protected area for Slender Loris in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul

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Last Updated09/05/2022

Scientists from the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) in Coimbatore recently carried out a survey of slender loris populations in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul forest division.
It highlighted that the area is an appropriate habitat for the species and can be used to conserve the animals

It is a nocturnal animal.
It is also a slow-moving animal.
It comes down into the bushes to feed and crosses open stretches of ground to enter isolated groves or to cross from one tree to another.
Generally, it sleeps by day, hiding among foliage or in a hole or crevice.
It starts moving from its resting place by dusk.
It has a lean and lanky appearance, with longer and slender limbs, larger ears, pointed snout and eyes circled with black or dark brown.
Its fur is soft and woolly.
Its colour varies from dark grey to earthy brown.
It is found in acacia and tamarind-dominated thorn and scrub forests near cultivated fields.
Of the six species of Lorisinae, the Loris lydekkerianus is found in and around the Ayyalur, Alagarkovil, Manapparai, Sirumalai and Kadavur areas in Tamil Nadu.
Though it is insectivorous, it is fond of lantana berries also. It eats insects, dragonflies, lizards, eggs, small birds and tree frogs.

It is considered endangered according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
It is listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
It is included in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972.

It has become threatened mainly because of habitat loss.
The disappearance of the acacia tree, a preferred tree species of the loris, hunting for the pet trade and for their meat, road kills, superstitious kills, traditional medicine and habitat fragmentation pose serious threats to this primate.

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