Slow lorises can be seen in many "adorable" viral videos. However, the back story is a lot darker than these cute snippets make it seem.
Source: International Animal Rescue
In reality, many slow lorises are captured from the wild and sold on the black market as pets, putting them in danger of extinction. Police in Indonesia rescued 34 animals from this exact situation in October.The International Animal Rescueis an organization that has taken in the nocturnal primates for care and examination, but it seems that many of them are severely traumatized.
Source: International Animal Rescue
The slow lorises were set to be sold online through social media. The viral videos that are shared are part of the reason the demand for the tree-dweller has gone up.They had been packed into small boxes, and many had their teeth cut out to make them easier to manage.
Source: International Animal Rescue
IAR spoke on the subject on their website:
They need very intensive treatment and care during the first few days in particular and often some of them succumb to the high stress levels, infections, and injuries received during capture, packing, transportation and selling.
The veterinary team is working to save as many slow lorises as possible to release back into the wild, but some of them will not be able to survive due to their broken teeth.
Source: International Animal Rescue
Donate to help support the IAR's work here.You can also sign a petition called "Tickling is Torture" to support the end of the "cute" videos that actually show slow loris mistreatment.Watch the video below:
H/t: The Dodo
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