From kitchen to wildlife sanctuary

All thanks to Manipur’s Lourembam Nanda Singh’s love for animals that a Bengal Slow Loris, counted among India’s most endangered species, could escape to a safe habitat before being turned into a dish.

Quick and co-ordinated efforts of the Manipur authorities and the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) also ensured that the animal reached his new home, a widlife sanctuary, safe and healthy.

In June, Singh was visiting his in-laws in Thockchom village in Manipur. They gifted him a Slow Loris whose meat is considered a delicacy in the north-eastern region. Singh however refused to kill and eat it. Instead, he sought help of the local villagers and gave it to them. The villagers called the animal rights NGO People for Animals, Manipur, for its rehabilitation which then worked with the government departments.

When the animal, named as ‘Nanao’ by villagers, was received by the PFA activists, it was tied with a metallic chain on its abdomen and had wounds on both its forelimbs and was observed to be dehydrated. However, what followed thereafter, was an apt example of the best welfare work that can be achieved with prompt action by authorities – both state and central.

Dr Brij Kishor Gupta, a wildlife expert at the Central Zoo Authority, was rushed overnight by the MoEF to Manipur. He was assigned the task of ensuring Nanao’s proper medical treatment and finding a suitable home for him, within its home range in the state itself.

“Bengal Slow Loris is an endangered animal and its population in India is also not well documented. His meat is considered a delicacy in the north-eastern region. His medical examination revealed that he was suffering from a parasitic infection. So, we first got medical treatment for him,” Gupta told DNA. “Our main aim was to ensure that the animal goes back to the wild in its natural habitat,” said Gupta, who co-ordinated with the Manipur government’s veterinary officials, wildlife department officials, animal welfare organisations and locals.

He then visited three national parks — Keibul Lamjao National Park, Manipur Zoological Park, Yangoupokpi Wildlife Sanctuary — all located within a distance of about 100km from Imphal to finalise Nanao’s release location.

After detailed deliberations, Lokchao in Yangoupokpi Wildlife Sanctuary was finally chosen for releasing Nanao as it had the best habitat conditions needed for his survival. He was finally released in the sanctuary on 6 August last month.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Bengal Slow Loris is a specie whose number is regularly decreasing. In India, it is found mainly in the north eastern states and is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act. In north-eastern India, one of the key causes of its habitat loss is ‘jhum’, a practice whereby hillside forest is burnt in order to create fertile agricultural land. Aside from habitat destruction, the Bengal slow loris has been extensively hunted for its meat and also for use in traditional medicine.

MoEF’s additional director general of forests (wildlife) Jagdish Kishwan, who oversaw the work, told DNA, “Our main focus was Slow Loris’s proper rehabilitation. He is doing well in his new habitat. Quick and co-ordinated work among various authorities ensured the safety of the animal.”