Tamil Nadu notifies India’s first sanctuary for Slender Lorises

Forest area measuring over 11,800 hectares of land in Karur and Dindigul districts of Tamil Nadu were on Wednesday declared as the country’s first-ever sanctuary for Slender Lorises, small nocturnal mammals that are arboreal in nature, spending most of their lives on trees.

The Tamil Nadu Government notified the Kadavur Slender Loris Sanctuary as India’s first sanctuary for the animal. Slender Lorises act as a biological predator of pests of agricultural crops and benefit farmers. In addition, they play an important ecological role in the terrestrial ecosystem.

Slender Lorises are listed as endangered as per the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The survival of the animal depends on habitat improvement, conservation efforts, and mitigation of threats.

In a statement, Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department said forest areas measuring 11,806 hectares in Karur and Dindigul Districts have been identified as important habitats for Slender Lorises in Tamil Nadu.

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She said the government, after realising the need for immediate conservation of the endangered animal, made an announcement in the Assembly that it was committed to conservation. The sanctuary with 11,806 hectares of land (in 7 Blocks) is located in Karur and Dindigul districts.

Slender Lorises are native to India and Sri Lanka and their genus comprises two species, the red slender loris found in Sri Lanka and the grey slender loris which is found both in India and in Sri Lanka. Known to live most of their life in trees, they have a lifespan of approximately 15 years and generally feed on insects, reptiles, plant shoots, and fruit.

Sahu said the government has already notified India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay, Kazhuveli Birds Sanctuary in Villupuram, Agasthiarmalai Elephants Reserve, and Nanjarayan Tank Birds Sanctuary, Tiruppur.

“These path breaking initiatives in the short span of 15 months (after the DMK came to power under Chief Minister M K Stalin) have put Tamil Nadu at a pivotal position in the field of conservation,” she said.