Establishment of the first rescue centre in Sumatra specializing in slow lorises

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.

Establishment of the first rescue centre in Sumatra specializing in slow lorises

By building this specialized centre, we enabled the rehabilitation of confiscated slow lorises with the aim of returning them back to the wild.

In 2014, we built the first rescue and rehabilitation centre for confiscated illegally sold or held slow lorises in Sumatra in the village of Bandar Baru in the province of North Sumatra. The centre is less than a 2-hour drive from the provincial capital of Medan, an important hub of illegal trade in Indonesia. The fact that such a facility had been lacking in Sumatra before made it virtually impossible to combat the illegal trade in slow lorises effectively. Seizures and reception of slow lorises are carried out in cooperation with the Indonesian authorities responsible for enforcing wildlife protection laws. Slow lorises who successfully complete the rehabilitation process at the centre can be released back into the wild. The rescue and rehabilitation centre meets all the necessary standards for quarantine and rehabilitation of animals and their welfare.

1) Animal care clinic
2) Quarantine enclosures
3) Male greater slow loris in the quarantine
4) Examination of the teeth of a slow loris accepted to the clinic

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.