NEWS : Black magic and the use of body parts in traditional medicine pose a major threat to Slender Loris
DETAILS
• Nocturnal primate of southern India
• Among 139 rescued slender lorises, the researchers found 116 animals had injuries that resulted from pricking, piercing, burning or cutting as part of black magic rituals.
• The injuries in 58 of them were related to black magic and another 58 were cases classified as trafficking that were most likely connected to black magic
• There are five mechanisms to inflict wounds to the nocturnal primate — burning, hitting, piercing, breaking and cutting. The most common wound was piercing the forelimb arm.
• The study provided a systematic account of how in southern India, the majority of the rescued slender lorises were used as animal effigies or living voodoo dolls
SLENDER LORIS
• Genus of loris native to India and Sri Lanka
• Spend most of their life in trees, traveling along the tops of branches with slow and precise movements
• Generally feed on insects, reptiles, plant shoots, and fruit
• Found in tropical rainforests, scrub forests, semi-deciduous forests, and swamps
• Protection Status:
o IUCN: Endangered,
o Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972: Schedule I
o CITES: Appendix II