Maybe you’ve seen a slow loris, the primate that looks sort of like lemur, but cuter. But have you seen the Nycticebus kayan — the extra cute, extra big-eyed slow loris that only comes out at night and that scientists just decided was its own special species? No? Well, you have to check this guy out:
Take a good hard look at that photo, because it might be the last one you see: This new official species is already badly endangered. The Guardian explains:
But the new loris is already under threat from the Asian pet trade in part because its “teddy-bear face” make it attractive for illegal poaching, the team of UK and US scientists said. […]
Rachel Munds, a University of Missouri doctoral student who was one of the team who identified it, said: “Unfortunately, in addition to habitat loss to deforestation, there is a booming black market demand for the animals. They are sold as pets, used as props for tourist photos or dismembered for use in traditional Asian medicines.”
So sad. Maybe you’ll want to spend the morning looking deep into the big, big eyes of a Nycticebus kayan and just saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
