Sanctuary for Slender Loris – Kadavur Reserve Forest

There is a demand to declare Kadavur Reserve Forest in the Karur district of Nadu as a sanctuary for Slender Loris.

Highlights:

The whole wooded area in the taluk has been categorized as a reserve wooded area and viewed as a hotspot in the State for Slender Loris.

According to a census taken in 2016-17 through the Forest Department, the Reserve Forest has a populace of 3,500 Slender Loris, and the modern-day populace is estimated to be around 5,000.

The Slender Loris are a small, secretive nocturnal primate. These animals are about 25 cm long & have long, thin arms. Their most prominent function is the pair of two large, closely set, brown eyes.

It is frequently discovered in the tropical scrub and deciduous forests as properly as the dense hedgerow plantations bordering farmlands of Southern India & Sri Lanka.

Being arboreal, they spend most of their existence on the trees. Slender Loris live between 12 to 15 years.

There are 2 species of slender loris: The narrow red loris (Loris tardigrades) and the grey slender loris (L. lydekkerianus)

They are fond of lantana berries and additionally consume insects, lizards, small birds, tree frogs, smooth leaves and buds.

They have an addiction to urine washing of their face and limbs, which is ideal for soothing or defending against the sting of the toxic insects they pick to eat.

IUCN status- Endangered