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. Rainforet Rescue is asking help to protect the lorises and write to the Indonesian authorities.