News Highlight
In a first in the country, the Tamil Nadu government notified the Kaduvur Slender Loris sanctuary, covering 11,806 hectares in Karur and Dindigul districts.
Key Takeaway
- In steps towards the conservation of wildlife, the government notified India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay.
Slender Lorises
- About
- The slender lorises are a genus of loris native to India and Sri Lanka and small nocturnal mammals.
- They generally feed on insects, reptiles, plant shoots, and fruit.
- Habitat:
- They are found in tropical rainforests, scrub forests, semi-deciduous forests, and swamps.
- Types:
- Red Slender Loris (Loris tardigradus).
- Grey Slender Loris (Loris lydekkerianus).
- Importance:
- The species acts as a biological predator of pests in agricultural crops and benefits farmers.
- IUCN status:
- It is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
- Threat:
- It is believed that they have medicinal properties and are captured and sold.
- They are illegally smuggled.
- Habitat loss
- Electrocution of live wires
- Survival factors:
- The survival of the Slender Loris depends on habitat improvement, conservation and mitigation of threats.
- Kaduvur Slender Loris sanctuary:
- The sanctuary will cover Vedasandur, Dindigul East and Natham taluks in the Dindigul district and Kadavur taluk in Karur.
Dugong Conservation Reserve
- The Tamil Nadu government has decided to go ahead with the establishment of India’s first conservation reserve for the Dugong in the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay.
Dugongs
- About
- Dugong (Dugong dugon) also called ‘Sea Cow’.
- It is the only existing species of herbivorous mammal that lives exclusively in the sea including in India.
- Distribution and Habitat:
- They are found in over 30 countries and in India are seen in the Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch, Palk Bay, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable
- Wild (Life) Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
- CITES: Appendix I.
Content Source: The Hindu