Loris
In Sri Lanka it was 28°C today, according to weather.com. London managed to boast a rather more unhealthy 19°C. However, inside the office at my desk, we managed a more impressive 33.5°C – so a partial win for London. In temperatures such as these most people can be found staring idly at their monitors, mouth open and eyes wide. It was in a similar catatonic state that I came to learn about the wonderful creature called the Loris.
The obscenely cute animal to your right is a Slender Loris, a nocturnal creature found in the rainforests of Sri Lanka. Whilst I don’t recommend writing to your local councilman this instant, to complain about these animals being under threat from logging, urban expansion, and all the rest of the usual culprits for rainforest depletion… I would highly recommend you stare at the picture a little longer, and exasperate an “awwww, but it’s so cu-uuute”.
I’ve never heard of these little primates before. So it was with a renewed sense of glee and excitement that I started clicking around randomly to find more about them. Apparently the Sinhalese have a proverb “unahapuluwa ge daruwa oota menika lu”. To you and me, that’s “the loris – young one is a gem to her”. Or more plainly, “see that baby loris? Only a mother could love that thing”. Well, yes, they might look like gremlins and maybe they act like them too. But look at those eyes!
That’s Sri Lanka firmly on my “places to visit” list then 🙂 Tell a friend about the Loris today.
I’m very glad indeed that I was able to introduce you to the joy of the Slender Loris yesterday, young Blake. I must point out, though, that it is not only destruction of habitat / normal human revoltingness etc that is putting paid to the variety of lorii on this planet (for there are many: Pygmy Loris, Asian Slow Loris, Bengal Slow Loris), but the fact that local humans in the areas they inhabit kill and eat them for their various medicinal ‘parts’. That’s right. Loris Eyeball is a particular delicacy that, surprise surprise, is supposed to help with eyeball problems. While Loris Knob is an ingredient in an ancient love potion and Loris Paw is traditionally worn by locals for luck. To get behind the campaign to save lorii and try to persuade people about the futility of Loris Lore, visit the Zoological Society’s website ‘Edge’, set up to save the world’s weirdest creatures: http://www.edgeofexistence.org/home.asp . There’s a treat in store for you when you get there. Ever heard of the Hispaniolan Solenodon? OMG!