An injured endangered slow loris was rescued from Khagrachhari’s Matiranga area and is receiving treatment before rehabilitation and release into its natural forest habitat, forest officials and conservationists said.
An endangered slow loris was rescued in an injured condition from a residential area in Bangladesh’s southeastern Khagrachhari district, forest officials said on Wednesday.
The nocturnal primate was recovered late Tuesday night from the Shantipur area under Gomti union in Matiranga upazila after local residents alerted the forest department.
According to forest officials, the rescued animal had visible injuries on its eyes and across its body and is currently undergoing primary treatment.
“We received information from locals after they spotted the injured slow loris lying in the area,” Matiranga forest guard Md Hasan said. “Our team later rescued it from the spot. There are injury marks on its body and eyes.”
He said the animal was given initial treatment on Wednesday morning. However, due to the lack of adequate shelter facilities at the forest office, it was transferred to the Pittachhara area for safe accommodation. Officials said it would later be brought back for further medical care.
Khagrachhari Divisional Forest Officer Farid Mia said authorities were making every effort to rehabilitate the animal.
“The treatment is ongoing. We are trying our best to help it recover,” he said, adding that the slow loris would be released into a suitable forest habitat once it regains full health.
Mahfuz Russel, founder of the Pittachhara Forest and Wildlife Conservation Initiative, told The Business Standard that rescued wild animals are first taken to veterinary clinics where experienced veterinarians provide necessary treatment.
“After full recovery, the animals are released into their natural habitat following recommendations from veterinary doctors and wildlife experts,” he said.
Russel added that animals unfit for immediate release are kept at rehabilitation centres where they are gradually adapted to forest conditions before being returned to the wild.
Pittachhara has a dedicated wildlife treatment and rehabilitation centre equipped to provide medical care and recovery support for rescued injured animals, officials said.
Forest authorities said the slow loris is a protected species and is listed as “Endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The species is mainly found in the forest regions of Chattogram and Sylhet divisions in Bangladesh.
