Why Not Buy a Slow Loris

The Kukang Rescue Program

We are zoologists and conservationists fighting the illegal trade in wild animals and especially striving to protect the greater slow loris (Nycticebus coucang) and Sumatran slow loris (Nycticebus hilleri) - poisonous primates that fall victim to their cuteness. We have been running a non-profit organization on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia since 2014, within which we have built a rescue and rehabilitation centre for confiscated slow lorises in order to return them to the wild. We work with local communities on several levels. We educate local children in whom we develop a positive attitude towards nature. We employ former poachers, who are now our field assistants. We are also transforming local farmers into conservationists by supporting the “Kukang Coffee” eco-friendly coffee project. In addition, we help them peacefully resolve conflicts with wild animals. The main purpose of all our efforts is to reduce the rate of illegal trade (not only) in slow lorises, and thus protect the population of (not only) these endangered animals in the wild.

Program Goals

Cooperation with local government agencies on wildlife conservation and on the enforcement of laws on slow loris protection.

Operation of a rescue and rehabilitation centre for slow lorises confiscated from the black market.

Setting up an Indonesian team that will implement most of the slow loris conservation activities.

Raising awareness about the illegal trade in animals and about the conservation of slow lorises.

Cooperation with and support of local communities.

Securing a sustainable population of slow lorises in human care, i.e. ex situ.

Slow lorises are poisonous animals!

On the inner sides of their elbows they have glands producing liquid, yellowish and odorous secretion. This secretion contains a toxin that is activated into poison after it mixes with saliva. That makes slow lorises the only poisonous primates in the world. They use it to protect themselves and their young. This poison is dangerous to humans as well! A bite from a slow loris is very painful and the wound heals very poorly. There have been cases when a slow loris bite even caused death!

Buying or selling slow lorises is illegal.

All slow loris species have been listed since 2007 in Appendix I of CITES convention. Therefore, the trade in wild slow lorises is internationally banned. The situation is similar in most of the countries where the slow loris species naturally occur. For instance, in Indonesia, trading in slow lorises or keeping them can be punished by imprisonment for up to 5 years and by a fine of 100,000,000 IRP or 10,000 USD.

Traders cruelly pull the slow loris teeth.

Before slow lorises get to their new owners, traders very often pull or tear their teeth without any anesthesia. That often leads to infections sometimes causing the death of the animals. The sellers do so to prevent the animals from biting their new owners and to make them more manipulable and “suitable” house pets. If the slow lorises with removed teeth survive, they are condemned to spend the rest of their life in captivity as they will never be able to be released back into the wild.

Smuggling is usually survived by only a low percentage of slow lorises.

Due to their higher price, young use to be taken from their mothers immediately after their trapping and they often die during transport. Slow lorises are often transported in terrible conditions, in overfull and poorly ventilated containers, plastic bottles, etc. Due to the stress during transport, around 30-90% of individuals die. Live animals are often found next to dead bodies of others.

Slow lorises on markets and in households really suffer.

Slow lorises are nocturnal primates, noise and daylight is very stressful for them. In the wild, they travel long distances at night in search for food, thus they suffer a lot when being kept for days in small cages. In the wild, they eat a wide spectrum of food that is hardly replaceable in captivity. Due to poor and monotonous diet provided by traders and new owners they often suffer from nutritional problems.

Stolen Wildlife

Illegal trade in animals and their body parts is one of the main causes of wild animals becoming endangered. A problem and responsibility of Asia, Africa or America? Yes, of course, but also European states are to blame, and so are even many citizens of the Czech Republic. You don’t believe it? You can now learn more thanks to the new, unique campaign named Stolen Wildlife. Stolen Wildlife is the first complex campaign in the Czech Republic, disclosing often overlooked facts about illegal wildlife trade.

I Am Not Your Toy!

The "I Am Not Your Toy!" campaign, yet another activity of The Kukang Rescue Program, is focused against the popularization of slow lorises as pets on the internet. This is most often done through "cute" videos on YouTube and by sharing videos and photos on social networks. It has already been proven that these videos have a direct impact on the illegal trade in slow lorises, i.e. they support it. The aim of the campaign is to inform the general public about the real background of these videos. Help us spread this information - together we can join forces and use the increasingly popular social networks and websites to raise awareness about wildlife protection.