A Bengal Slow Loris (Nycticebus bengalensis), locally known as Lajjaboti Banor, was rescued from Fatikchhari upazila of Chittagong.
The locals captured the endangered mammal in Heyako of Fatikchhari upazila on Saturday and handed it over to Fatikchhari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sayedul Arefin.
Eventually, the rare primate species was sent to Chittagong Zoo.
Hathazari UNO, also member secretary of the Chittagong Zoo Executive Committee said the Bengal Slow Loris was doing fine at the zoo.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the wild animal as ‘endangered’ in its Red List of Threatened Species.
The species is listed in Bangladesh as Schedule III in the Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) Act, 1974.
As per the Bangladesh Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012, ‘endangered species’ means any species of wild animal which is at risk of extinction.
According to the Bangladesh Slow Loris Research & Conservation Project (BSLRCP), the population of Bengal Slow Loris is declining in the country due to fragmentation of natural forests.
Bengal Loris monkeys are usually not sighted as they are exclusively nocturnal with slow deliberate movements.
At daytime they sleep curling up like a ball in hidden portions of trees above the ground.
The lifespan of a Bengal Loris is about 15 years, and the female of the species gives birth to one offspring once every two years in semi-wild conditions.
According to conservationists, the presence of the rare primate species is a bio-indicator of a healthy ecosystem.
The mammal helps maintain ecological balance, being a seed disperser and a pollinator as well.
