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Wednesday, July 21, 2010 - 4.25 GMT |
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Extinct primate
found in Horton Plains |
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A group of scientists have spotted a rare, endangered primate that was once presumed extinct.
The Horton Plains slender loris was seen in the forests of central Sri Lanka after thousands of surveys were conducted in forest areas by the EDGE of Existence program of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) that “aims to help secure the future of the endangered Sri Lankan red slender loris.”
“Nearly 1,000 nocturnal surveys have been completed in 120 different forest areas looking for all loris species to assess their status, ecological needs and current threats,” said research leader Saman Gamage. “We are now conducting further studies to establish whether the Horton Plains slender loris could even be a species in its own right.”
The red slender loris, endemic to Sri Lanka, has been classified as endangered and listed on the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Until this sighting, this particular subspecies of the slender loris had been spotted only four times since 1937. From 1939 until 2002, there had been no sightings of the organism. That led many scientists to believe that the animal had become extinct.
“We are thrilled to have captured the first ever photographs and prove its continued existence – especially after its 65 year disappearing act.” “This is the first time we have been able to conduct such a close examination of the Horton Plains slender loris.”
“The discovery improves our knowledge of this species, but we need to focus our efforts on the conservation and restoration of the remaining montane forest where this species still exists,” said ZSL conservation biologist Craig Turner in a statement. “Currently this accounts for less than one percent of the land area of Sri Lanka,” he said.
The slender loris population is now threatened due to logging, agriculture, the over-collection of firewood and human settlement.
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