Over the past decade, ‘cute’ animals have been especially badly hit by the insatiable appetite of the human race for YouTube clips of animals looking adorable / doing things humans might do / flopping around. In some cases, this has had catastrophic consequences for the creatures concerned. This is none more so than in the case of the Slow Loris, the furry, big-eyed noctural creatures that live on the Indonesian island of Java. After a YouTube clip of one enjoying a tickle went viral, demand for Loris pets rocketed. They’re now listed as one of the 25 most endangered primates in the world, thanks largely to this illegal trade. What would-be owners don’t realise, though, is that the Loris’ cute exterior is misleading – they not only stink to high heaven, but are possessed of a particularly nasty venom.
Dr Anna Nekaris of Oxford Brookes University is one of the world’s leading experts on the Loris. She recently worked on an episode of the BBC’s Natural World series called The Jungle Gremlins Of Java (still available to watch on iPlayer here), and is coordinating the Little Fireface project, intended to raise awareness of the illegal pet trade of the species. You can find out about the organisation and its names at the Nick Cave-inspired Nocturama.org website. On Wednesday, we’re very pleased to announce that Dr Nekaris will be joining Aidan Moffat at Klub Gutenberg to give a talk on the Loris in lore, literature and conservation this Wednesday, February 8th. Klub Gutenberg will also see the launch of a postcard campaign aimed at persuading the Indonesian ambassador to the UK to move to protect this little-known species. You can keep up with Dr Nekaris on twitter @alittlefireface or @queenfireface, and help with her campaign at the Oxford Brookes website.
Klub Gutenberg takes place on Wednesday, February 8th at the Old Queen’s Head, Essex Road. Dr Nekaris will be speaking at 20.45, tickets are available here.
