Too cute to live? Save the slow lorises
Born to be free – slow lorises (Picture: Julie O'Neill)
The little slow loris is snatched from its mother, she is killed by the poachers. The baby has its teeth brutally pulled out with pliers, then merchants offer it for sale at the market. The ascending infection due to the mutilation kills a lot of his fellow primates. Please demand freedom and protection for the slow lorises
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The little monkey with the big eyes is snatched from its mother. When they are young, they are even cuter and fetch a good price on the black market. The mum is killed by the poachers. She is of no use to them.
Illegal wildlife trade with slow lorises is flourishing. In their homeland Indonesia they are sold at roadsides or markets. Here, a slow loris costs about 25 dollars, via the internet they fetch a price of up to 2,500 dollars.
Due to their cute appearance more and more people like the idea of having a slow loris as a pet. The hype was stirred up by videos circulating in the internet. But this way they are loved to death.
Teeth pulled out brutally, many die
Despite their huge brown eyes and soft fur, slow lorises are in no way suitable as playmates. These small primates possess a rare trait among mammals: a toxic bite. On the inside of their arm a special gland produces a poison that protects them from predators. In the event of danger, they coat their teeth with this poison.
To make believe that they are suitable as pets, merchants use pliers to pinch off or pull out the slow lorises' teeth. This can lead to harmful infections. Many slow lorises die before they are even sold.
Awareness is very important, especially in Indonesia. Please help to protect the lorises and write to the Indonesian authorities. Demand that they stop the illegal trade with slow lorises immediately!
BackgroundWhat you can do
*Never keep a slow loris or any other primate as a pet.
*Spread the word about the tragic plight of the slow lorises as widely as possible via the social networks and by word of mouth.
*Sign our petitions to protect the slow lorises' habitat from the expansion of palm oil plantations
*Avoid food products that contain palm oil as well as so called biofuel.
*Support our work and the slow loris project.
Dear Mr President, dear Minister of Forestry of Indonesia,
each year thousands of slow lorises die due to illegal trade. These primates are listed on the CITES list and are strictly protected as an endangered species, both by national and international law. Please ensure that the wildlife trade with these critically endangered primates is stopped immediately.
Furthermore I would like to ask you to stop deforestation and the loss of the slow lorises' habitat due to the expansion of oil palm plantations. It is only by implementing both measures that the critically endangered slow lorises can be saved.
Please eliminate the illegal trade with slow loris now!
Yours faithfully
Recent successes