Cuteness Overload...Right?

For someone who doesn't know any better, this video is downright adorable. 

And that's the problem. People don't know any better - that needs to change.

According to work done by the likes of Professor Anna Nekaris (basically the slow loris lady out there), videos like these are boosting demand for any species of slow loris.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how this is possible. When I first saw this video, I thought it was completely harmless. Not long after, I started to learn the truth.

A loris in the wild, where it should be. Image from Arup Shah via BBC Wildlife.

Basic Loris Myths Debunked

• "They come from captivity." Experts have found it near impossible to breed lorises in captivity - they often don't survive long enough.
• "This loris is happy." Raising arms, like the loris in this video is doing, is often a sign of distress in lorises. Lorises are also very sensitive to light, being a primarily nocturnal species, and you can see the wide eyes of the one in the video.
• "They are easy to look after." Lorises have a very specific diet that humans cannot replicate in captivity. They are not meant to survive off of bananas and rice balls, and will not last long on such a diet.
• "They can just go back to the wild later." Most lorises, after being removed from the wild, have their teeth violently removed with pliers. They never eat properly again.

In a disturbing turn of events, YouTube refuses to remove this video and others like it, claiming it not to be animal abuse. In the comments, if you talk about the wildlife trade and discuss ramifications of the video, chances are you will be voted down so much YouTube will remove your comment!

The first step to curbing demand for the loris is recognizing that is it not a cut pet but a wild animal. Also, take a minute to sign this petition asking YouTube to remove videos of captive lorises.

For more on slow loris conservation, visit Nekaris' Little Fireface Project and learn about her work in the region.

Use Your Resources

On July 20th I had the fantastic opportunity to attend Traffic's Wildlife Superheroes workshop, right here on the island of Penang.

I was fascinated by the turnout - almost no young people. I was happy to see the older generation getting involved, but sad to see so few of "my own" there. I am assuming they were too busy trying to get toy Minions from McDonald's (seriously, what is up with that?). I personally think slow lorises are cuter, but then again, most people don't know what a slow loris is.

But I'm getting distracted. 

The workshop really was fantastic. Aside from getting to spend a morning learning about something I love, I enjoyed learning new little details about the trade. There were amazing pictures of men with snakes in suitcases and birds around the ankles, and we even got to see dummy egg-smuggling shirts and underwear (that's dedication). These articles of clothing, used to smuggle reptile and bird eggs, have little individual pockets sown in for each egg. 

A South American example of an "egg smuggling shirt." Picture from The Independent.

One resource they shared with us, however, I think is useful for every Wildlife Warrior to have: Species Identification Sheets! We need to use the information we have access to - we need to be informed. If we don't know it when we see it, what good is seeing it at all?  They may seem a little dry and boring, but they are quick and easy to use. You can identify species and their derivatives, learn local names for the species, and discover laws that protect the species. These are useful things to know even if you are just walking around and spot something suspicious. (On a side note, if you see this, be sure to call the anonymous 24-hour wildlife crime hotline, 019-3564194.)

The sheets can be downloaded here.

If you're interested in these workshops, three more will be held within the year (including in KL and on Penang's mainland). More information is available on Traffic's Facebook page.