India’s First Slender loris Sanctuary

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

In a first in the country, Tamil Nadu government notified Kaduvur slender loris sanctuary covering 11,806 hectares in Karur and Dindigul districts.

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

In significant steps towards conservation of wildlife, Tamil Nadu government notified 

• India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay, 
• Kazhuveli bird sanctuary in Villupuram
• Nanjarayan Tank birds sanctuary in Tiruppur 
• The State’s fifth elephant reserve at Agasthyamalai in Tirunelveli.
• 13 wetlands across the State were declared as Ramsar sites.