Last evening, three men were spotted at the street corner adjacent to the Pai Chee school with long poles attempting to capture an animal from a tree. The animal they were attempting to capture was a slow loris. The slow loris is a small, slow moving primate that is nocturnal and arboreal. The slow lorises range from Borneo and Philippines in SE Asia through Bangledesh, Thailand, and Vietnam.
When asked, the men answered that the slow loris was to be sold to a buyer for medicinal purposes. According to this article, slow lorises are often sold as pets or for medicinal purposes in Chinese and Malay cultures.
The slow loris is a totally protected species under the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972, which means that it is illegal to handle these animals in any way.
The slow loris was housed in a small cage, and was clearly agitated and scared. The three men drew the attention of various people driving by in cars and motorbikes. However, nobody objected to the capture of the animal.
It's a shame that such an animal could be removed from public property without prompting any action on the part of the community. Wake up people. The slow loris belongs to Malaysia, not individuals. If we don't start protecting our heritage, who will?
