Kadavur Slender Loris sanctuary: The state government of Tamil Nadu has notified the establishment of the country's first Kadavur Slender Loris.

Key Points:

• The government notified the establishment of the new sanctuary under Section 26 A(1)(b) of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Named Kadavur Slender Loris Sanctuary, it will be covering 11,806 hectares in the Karur and Dindigul districts of the State.
• The sanctuary will play an important role in conserving the species and is another milestone in Tamil Nadu’s conservation efforts.
• With these steps, Tamil Nadu is setting new benchmarks in the conservation of endangered wild species.
• Over the past 15 months, it had announced the fifth elephant reserve of the state in the elephant reserve at Agasthyamalai in Tirunelveli in addition to India's first dugong conservation reserve in Palk Bay, Nanjarayan Tank bird’s sanctuary in Tiruppur, Kazhuveli bird sanctuary in Villupuram, and Nanjarayan Tank birds sanctuary in Tiruppur.

About Slender Loris:

• Slender lorises, belonging to genus loris, are nocturnal mammals and are arboreal in nature.
• They are native to South India and Sri Lanka.
• Lorises spends most of their life on trees travelling the atop the branches with slow and precise movements.
• They are found in scrub forests, semi-deciduous forests, swamps and tropical rain forests.
• They are biological predator of pests of agricultural crops and benefits farmers.
• The species has a broad range of ecological roles and importance to play in the terrestrial environment.
• The survival of the Kadavur depends on its habitat improvement, conservation efforts, and mitigation of threats.
• They are categorized as endangered animal by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
• These endangered primates are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972.

Why are they endangered?

• Poaching and the habitat loss are the main threats faced by them.
• They are poached because of the erroneous belief that they have magical powers.
• The loss of acacia tree, habitat fragmentation, hunting for pet trade and meat are among the reasons for the dwindling population of this species.

What is an animal sanctuary?

• An animal sanctuary is a place where species mainly endangered, are brought to live and kept to protect them for the rest of their lives.
• Sanctuaries are an experimental ground for transformative human-animal relations.

In India, there are a total of 565 wildlife sanctuaries in which different species are kept and protected from being extinct.