Feature: Twin Pygmy Lorises' Birth Brings Conservation Message to HK's Children's Day

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, April 04, 2002

Feature: Twin Pygmy Lorises' Birth Brings Conservation Message to HK's Children's Day

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Two pygmy lorises have been born in Hong Kong's Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG), the Conservation and Education Center announced Thursday, adding that this is the center's gift for Hong Kong's Children's day.

Pygmy loris has been listed as one of vulnerable species in the World Conservation Union's endangered species red list, is a nocturnal primate originating from the tropical forests of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

The KFBG said it hoped the news would be a special message to the community "to support work to conserve our environment for our children and future generations."

The two pygmy lorises, one male and one female, were born in the morning of last Wednesday at KFBG's Wild Animal Rescue Center.

The twins' parents are two of a group of 15 pygmy lorises, which were transferred by Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) to KFBG for temporary holding.

The father of the twins was received after confiscation by AFCD as an illegal pet and the mother was discovered as a stray in Yuen Long park, said Paul Crow, a KFBG conservation officer.

As with many other wildlife species in the region, Pygmy loris is threatened by habitat destruction and hunting for the illegal food and pet trades.

Paul said KFBG would like to release these offspring and other pygmy lorises to their native habitats but many obstacles prevent that, not the least of which is the chance of re-capture.

"Also there is little known about the wild distribution and possible variation within this endangered species. Any inappropriate re-introduction could have a drastic genetic effect on the remaining wild individuals," he said.

KFBG attempts to "re-home" them to internationally recognized conservation breeding facilities and four had been successfully sent to Crystal Garden in Canada for conservation last August.

KFBG's senior manager of the Fauna Conservation Department, Gary Ades, said: "We currently hold one of the largest groups of pygmy lorises in captivity, which is not something to be proud of, and in fact reflects how serious the threat is to this wild animal."

Ades said: "As with our children, these 'infant animals' need an appropriate environment to grow and prosper. They also contribute directly to maintaining the earth's sustainability for wildlife and our future generations."

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