SINGAPORE: A resident at an HDB block near Sin Ming received an unexpected surprise on Saturday (Jan 17) when she found herself staring into the bulbous, shining eyes of a small primate on the sixth floor corridor.
She called wildlife advocacy group ACRES, or the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, who sent staff to rescue the animal.
Native to Singapore and endangered, the male Sunda slow loris was the second such primate in a decade to be found in an urban area.
The animal was not injured, but showed signs of stress and exhibited defensive behaviour, said ACRES chief executive Kalaivanan Balakrishnan.
The primate was released back to the wild on the night of Jan 20, after it received a thorough health check at ACRES’ wildlife rescue centre.
In 2016, a native Sunda slow loris was discovered in a multi-storey carpark in Yishun.
While it is unknown – in the present case – how the animal ended up on the sixth floor of an apartment block, Kalaivanan said the primate could have wandered there by traversing through trees, or accidentally became a stowaway on a vehicle.
The Sin Ming area is located near the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and its nature parks, where wild slow lorises reside.
“With continued urbanisation and improved nature connectivity, it is possible that wild animals can wander off into urban areas more often. This is where ACRES, together with other stake holders like the National Parks Board, spread awareness on what to do when wild animals are sighted,” he added.
However, he does not expect the native primate to be stranded in urban areas frequently, since it is an extremely elusive and shy animal.
ACRES has rescued a few slow lorises after 2016, but those were from the illegal pet trade.
Vets at the animal rescue group ran tests on the male slow loris to verify that it is native. The nocturnal primate also has its teeth intact, which further proves that it drifted in from the wild.
In the exotic pet trade, poachers usually cut or pull out the animal’s sharp teeth to prevent it from biting its owner.
The Sunda slow loris is the only venomous primate in Singapore.
It produces a yellow secretion from glands on the insides of its elbow, which combines with saliva to form venom.
Dr Nicholas Lo, a wildlife enthusiast who has written biodiversity records of the mammal, said: “People should not support media that show the Lorises as pets, as it only serves to fuel the demand for them. They are kept in cruel conditions, often defanged, causing them to be in pain, starve, or get infections.” - The Straits Times/ANN
