Threats to the Bengal slow loris Nycticebus bengalensis in and around Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India: impediments to conservation

摘要

ABSTRACT: The present study provides data collected during rescue operations involving Bengal slow loris Nycticebus bengalensis which were carried out opportunistically in and around Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India. A total of 27 individuals consisting of 21 males and 6 females were rescued from the study sites; 81% of these were adult and 19% sub-adult. Of the 27 individuals, 12 were rescued from private gardens. All rescued individuals were kept under observation in the Biological Park zoo situated within the sanctuary, where they received the necessary treatment, and were then released to the wild in the sanctuary. Various anthropogenic threats were recorded in the study; these included illegal logging, firewood collection, forest fires and habitat encroachment to enable the traditional practice of shifting cultivation, and infrastructural developmental activities. The present study highlights factors impeding the conservation of slow loris in and around the sanctuary.