A slow loris that wandered into a resident’s house in central Phuket on Friday night has been handed over to wildlife officials for care and protection.
The resident called Kusoldharm rescue workers after finding the slow loris in his house yesterday evening.
Rescue workers soon arrived to collect the protected animal, and handed over the wide-eyed mammal to wildlife officials from the Khao Phra Thaew Non-Hunting Area Conservation Center in Thalang district, where it was released back into the forest.
Pongchart Chouehorm, Director of the Khao Phra Thaew Non-Hunting Area Office, said that concern was growing over the welfare of slow lorises in the ever-diminishing wilds of Phuket.
“We are very worried for the slow loris in Phuket because the forest that is its natural habitat is being cut down to make way for more and more buildings,” Pongchart said.
“We are finding more and more slow lorises that are lost and entering residents’ homes and buildings. The lucky ones are returned to their native habitat, but some are taken and kept in cages as pets, while others are used as tourist photo attractions. Slow lorises are also killed by electricity cables or hit by vehicles,” he added.
“People who find a slow loris should not approach it, and certainly not harm it. They must inform officials so the slow loris can be returned to its habitat. The slow loris is a protected animal. People caught in possession of a slow loris will face legal action,” he warned.
Story: The Phuket News
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