Dr. Craig Turner, EDGE Conservation Biologist from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Sri Lankan zoologist, Saman Gamage, called on the British High Commissioner recently to brief him about the work being done to protect the red slender loris.

Until recently, the Horton Plains slender loris was believed possibly extinct. In 2009, after two hundred hours of surveying, ZSL EDGE researchers rediscovered this sub-species and took the first ever photographs and measurements of a specimen, states the British High Commission in Colombo.

The principal threat facing the slender loris is habitat change, resulting from nearly two centuries of over exploitation for, tea, rubber and cinnamon. Combined with the fact that the species is unique to central and south-western Sri Lanka, and is typically found in the southern “wet zone” of the island up to the central “intermediate zone”.
The ZSL EDGE programme is engaged in a collaborative project with the University of Colombo and the Open University of Sri Lanka to bring conservation focus to this species and its remaining habitat.

A key part of this has been undertaking an assessment of loris ‘occupancy’ in over 100 different forest patches, with nearly 1,000 surveys completed. Led by the project’s Sri Lankan field team, this has provided the first spatial data on loris at this scale in Sri Lanka, allowing questions regarding habitat use, forest preferences and distribution to be answered finally.

Appreciating their conservation work, British High Commissioner John Rankin, commented, “I am glad to see the UK and Sri Lanka’s collaboration in protecting this endangered species. The work being done is highly commendable; it can and should be supported by many parties.”