In the video below, you will see a man feeding his very unusual pet, a slow loris.
The slow loris is a member of the family Lorisidae, containing over 25 species, which according to the Duke Lemur Center can be found south of the Sahara in Africa, southern India, Sri Lanka, southeastern Asia, and southwestern China. They are generally found in tropical rain forests at relatively low elevation, and they stay high up in the trees. Sadly, they are facing immense danger because of destruction of their natural environments.
Duke Lemur Center states, “in Indonesia, it is believed that two-thirds of the animals’ habitat has been lost to logging and agricultural pursuits,” and similar circumstances exist in their Chinese habitats as well. Beyond the threat of environmental damage, these little creatures face peril at the hands of hunters who seek lorises out for their fur as well as for traditional medicinal purposes.
Though the slow loris is absolutely adorable, it is not meant to be a pet and is threatened gravely by demand from illegal exotic pet trading.
Duke Lemur Center explains, “they are subjected to terrible living conditions, illness and malnutrition, and often have their teeth pulled to avoid bites before being sold illegally.
” If that isn’t bad enough, many lorises that are captured die in street markets or while they are being smuggled out of their home countries. If a loris does make it into a private home, the chances of it living a contented and comfortable life are relatively low. Lorises are naturally arboreal creatures, so it’s hard to imagine that they could ever be happy living in a home or an apartment, let alone a cage.
They are naturally nocturnal, but the people who capture and keep them often times have little to no regard to for the sensitivity of their eyes. In southeast Asia, lorises are often kept awake during the day so that tourists can take pictures with them, but the daylight and flashes from cameras are incredibly damaging to their eyes.