Endangered species `Slender Loris` to get first-ever dedicated sanctuary in India - Details here

New Delhi: Slender Loris is small nocturnal mammals that largely spend their lives on trees. Native to southern India and Sri Lanka, the Slender Loris is an endangered animal as per the International Union for the Conservation of Nature(IUCN). By feeding on pests that are harmful to crops, the species plays a crucial role as a predator. The species performs a wide range of ecological roles in the terrestrial ecosystem. 

On Wednesday, an Indian state announced the notification of the country's first-ever sanctuary dedicated to this arboreal animal. The Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forest, Govt of Tamil Nadu notified 11,806 hectares of forest areas in Karur and Dindigul districts, in the southern Indian state as the country's first Slender Loris Sanctuary.

According to the Tamil Nadu Government, Kadavur Slender Loris Sanctuary(India's first such) would have 11,806 hectares of land (in 7 blocks) in Karur and Dindigul districts under Section 26(A) (1) (b) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. 

In recent months, the Tamil Nadu government had also announced the notification of India's first Dugong Conservation reserve in the Palk bay, the narrow strip of sea that connect India's Tamil Nadu and the Indian Ocean littoral nation Sri Lanka. In addition to this, Bird sanctuaries, Elephant reserves etc. have also been notified during the last year and a half.