Tourism in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries
Are you planning to run away from the cold winter? Have you decided to grab the cheap plane tickets to Thailand and other destinations in Southeast Asia? Would you love to get a photo with exotic animals? Be careful to not support the black market in animals.
Whether you're on a beach, a busy tourist street, or maybe by the waterfalls and you are enjoying your vacation, you may come across a trader who will offer you to take a photo with a small cute primate - protected slow loris. By taking the seemingly harmless selfie, you may unconsciously support illegal capture of slow lorises from the wild, where their population has been reduced to a third in the past 20 years, also due to the illegal trade. One species of slow loris is even among the 25 most endangered primates in the world.
Although The Kukang Rescue Program operates in Sumatra, the aim of our “I Am Not Your Toy!” campaign is to raise awareness regardless of borders and we would like to appeal to you to behave responsibly while traveling.
Some of you have already actively intervened or sent us photos of the traders with slow lorises, asking who to call and how to make the passive policemen intervene.
If you come across a slow loris, you should definitely refuse to take a photo of it, you can alert the trader and the surrounding tourists that the activity is illegal and the animal is endangered and protected by law. You can even warn (often indifferent) police. Help us raise awareness and encourage the relevant authorities to block the illegal trade in slow lorises.
Be especially careful and attentive in locations such as Phuket - Bangla Road area of Patong Beach and Karon, Ban Karon, Koh Samui - Chaweng Beach, Khao Lak, Phang-nga - Ton Pling Waterfall, Khao Lak, Chonburi - Pattaya downtown, as well as in any other tourist areas.
