India’s first sanctuary for slender loris

CHENNAI: Taking yet another step in nature conservation, the State Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forest notified 11,806 hectare of forests in Karur and Dindigul districts as India’s first ‘Slender Loris Sanctuary.’

The notification for the “Kadavur Slender Loris Sanctuary,” covering 7 Blocks in Karur and  Dindigul districts, was made under Section 26 (A) (1) (b) of Wildlife (Protection)  Act, 1972, after obtaining the approval of Chief Minister M K Stalin, an official press release on Wednesday said.

The decision was in line with the DMK government’s commitment to conserve nature. Ever since the government came to power 15 months ago, it had also taken several pioneering steps to protect endangered wildlife.

Notifications on India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay, Kazhuveli Birds Sanctuary in Villupuram, Agasthyamalai Elephants Reserve, and Nanjarayan Tank Birds Sanctuary, Tirupur, and the inclusion of 13 wetlands in the Ramsar sites are among them.

Slender Loris are small nocturnal mammals that are arboreal in nature as they spend most of their life on trees. The species acts as a biological predator to pests of agricultural crops, thus benefiting farmers, and has a wide range of
ecological roles to play in  the terrestrial ecosystem.

The species is listed as an endangered species as per the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and its survival depends on its habitat  improvement, conservation efforts and mitigation of threats.  

Realizing the need for immediate measures for the conservation of this species, the government had made an announcement on the floor of the Assembly on setting up the sanctuary.