Two Slow Lorises Head Back to the Wild

A few evenings ago two of the vet team headed out on a special bike ride. In their rucksacks were two special cargos : two recently rescued slow lorises that were heading back to the wild.

The first was recently rescued from the livestock department in Petchaburi. A member of the public had found it beside the road and taken it there. Whether they had tried to keep it as a pet or not we don’t know but it was defensive around humans and could give a nasty bite. Being venomous they do not make for good pets. A check up by the vet team and observation concluded that it was suitable for release.
The second was named Phil, in honour of Phil Brooks who had found it injured on the road about 6 months ago on the island of Koh Samui. Phil took care of the loris which we think had been attacked by a cat and sustained a nasty infection of the face. Initially it was thought the loris was blind but after assessment by the vets and observed for a few weeks it was decided it was suitable for release back to the wild.
Finding suitable release sites is not easy. Both these lorises had come into conflict with humans and their domestic animals and we wanted to release them as remotely as possible. Fortunately there is a large protected Forrest near WFFT which is a non hunting area. The problem is getting there.
One of the vets has an off road motorcycle, but unfortunately is not the most competent rider. The other vet has a bike suited to city riding and after the recent heavy rain had an interesting journey to the release site. Fortunately both riders and cargo made it to the release site in one piece. The two lorises were then set free where they belong in a place hard for humans to interfere with them again.

Rescue, rehabilitate and release is the ultimate aim of the WFFT and it is immensely rewarding to be able to return these two endangered animals back to their natural habitat.