Hunted for centuries for its purported qualities as an aphrodisiac, asthma cure and as a kind of living voodoo doll, the tiny primate known as the Slender Loris has long faced a battle just to survive.
But the biggest threat to the rare nocturnal animal, which has a distinctive a big head, wide brown eyes and is so small it can be held in your hand, is the recent encroachment of human activity on to patches of forest in southern India and Sri Lanka that the primate calls home.
Measuring 15cm to 25cm long and weighing about 350g, the Slender Loris is increasingly popping up in urban India, where it has traditionally either been killed as an omen of bad luck or captured and traded.
PHOTO: AFP
"In south India people either trade in them or use them for black magic," said Sharat Babu, senior manager of People for Animals in Bangalore.
"If a person wants to harm their enemy they will tell their black magic practitioner to use a Slender Loris and cause damage to that exact part of the primate's body," he said.
Animal rights groups fear this latest trend signals a bad omen for the animal itself -- possible extinction.
The Slender Loris has joined a list of more than 30 species which are listed as endangered in India by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
Wildlife experts say the main reasons for the dwindling numbers of Slender Loris are as much about animal-human conflict and deforestation as the ages-old poaching and hunting of the animal.
India faces demand for more land to farm and build housing as its population of 1.1 billion continues to burgeon.
One Slender Loris now known as Murali (flute) recently found its way into the office of a veterinarian in the southern city of Bangalore after it was rescued from a practitioner of black magic.
Murali is the 16th such primate pulled out from schools, factories and homes in the city over the last five years.
"He is highly stressed and weak," Babu said. "He was [rescued] four days ago and will remain in the intensive care unit for another week. We intend to free him in a month."
According to the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, Slender Loris are an "endangered species" and a person who harbors, trades or kills the primate is liable to penalties that include five years in prison and a fine of up to 25,000 rupees (US$555).
But many are willing to take the risk as the "market rate" for a Slender Loris is close to 20,000 rupees (US$450), a princely sum in the country where many people live on less than a US$1 a day, Babu said.
The Slender Loris is also sold for its eyes, which are cooked with herbal medicines and eaten by some Indians who believe they are an aphrodisiac. Others believe eating the animal's flesh cures asthma.
The primate survives on insects, shoots, leaves, fruits and bird eggs -- foods which are becoming more scarce as their habitat shrinks.
Sindhu Radhakrishna, a researcher at the independent National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bangalore, said the Slender Loris is "definitely in danger."
"No study has been undertaken to find the exact population of Slender Loris. But according to our estimates, based on a pilot project in certain southern states to calculate their density, their numbers are declining," she said.
"Environmental stress is affecting their birth rates," said Sindhu, who has studied the primates for almost a decade. "The infants die early. They are trapped in many south Indian states as people believe they bring bad luck. The moment they see them they kill them," she said.
"Many people cage them for the fun of it as they look cute," she said.
Sindhu echoed Babu's views that the disappearing "canopy cover" was the crucial factor threatening the primate's survival.
"They feel secure only when they cling on to tree branches. If a tree is cut then there is no continuity for them to move about. So they come down to the ground and in the process they get electrocuted or run over by trucks," she said.
"Awareness and strict enforcement of law is the key for their survival," she said, but added education about the animal was vital.
"One needs to educate the villagers who live near the forests about Slender Loris. Indiscriminate cutting of trees and old beliefs that it is an omen can only be overcome only through education. That is the only way we can help Slender Loris survive," she said.
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