Tamil Nadu Notifies India’s First Slender Loris Sanctuary

Chennai: Tamil Nadu on Wednesday notified India’s first Slender Loris sanctuary, which will be set up in an expanse of over 11,000 hectares in Dindigul and Karur districts.

Chief Minister MK Stalin took to Twitter to announce the notification exercise and called it yet another milestone in the state’s wildlife conservation efforts.

“Happy to announce that the Government of Tamil Nadu has notified India’s first “Kadavur Slender Loris Sanctuary” covering an area of 11,806 hectares in Karur & Dindigul Districts. The sanctuary will play an important role in the conservation of Slender Loris and yet another milestone in TN’s conservation efforts,” Stalin tweeted.

Slender Loris is small nocturnal mammals. They are arboreal in nature, as they spend most of their life on trees. The species acts as a biological predator to pests of agricultural crops and benefits farmers. The species has a wide range of ecological roles and importance to play in the terrestrial ecosystem. The species is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The survival of the species depends on its habitat improvement, conservation efforts, and mitigation of threats.

“We are committed to conserving the endangered Slender Loris species. Towards this, forest areas measuring 11,806 ha, in Karur and Dindigul Districts, are identified as important habitats for Slender Loris in Tamil Nadu. Realising the need for immediate conservation of this species, the Government of Tamil Nadu made an announcement on the floor of the Assembly that “India’s first ever Wildlife Sanctuary for Slender Loris shall be set up in Karur and Dindigul in Tamil Nadu,” the statement from the government read.

Accordingly, Stalin-led Tamil Nadu notified the “Kadavur Slener Loris Sanctuary” under the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The notification was issued by the Department of Environment, Climate Change, and Forest. The government of Tamil Nadu has also taken several pioneering efforts for the conservation of Wildlife, especially endangered Species, the statement said reeling out a list of initiatives.