Conservation status and potential distribution of the bengal slow loris nycticebus bengalensis in northeast india

摘要

© 2021 Global Wildlife Conservation. All rights reserved.The Bengal slow loris Nycticebus bengalensis is a nocturnal primate, confined in India to the forests of the northeastern states. To understand better its range and occurrence in the state of Meghalaya, we surveyed nine community reserves, and interviewed 50 local people about their sightings of the species and to obtain a picture of the threats that lorises are facing. We also reviewed the available literature on their sightings, abundance, and rescues carried out in Northeast India. We confirmed the occurrence of a slow loris in five of the nine surveyed community reserves, and saw one individual in the Chimanapara Community Reserve. The review confirms the occurrence of slow lorises in all of the seven states of Northeast India. The modelled potential distribution provides the environmental limits of its range for the first time, and indicates potential sites for its occurrence in the northeast. Abundances in our survey sites in Meghalaya and also in the entire northeast are relatively low compared to many sites in the Southeast Asian countries. Reports of the numbers of slow lorises rescued almost equal the total detections recorded during all surveys carried out in Northeast India. We explore the possible reasons for their low populations and emphasize the need of educating the people as a last resort for the species' conservation and management in Northeast India, taking into consideration the cultural values and socio-political status of the local communities.