Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 21, 2012



The conservation of slow lorises, nocturnal primates in the rain forests of South and Southeast Asia, faces threats from deforestation, the exotic pet trade, traditional medicine, and the bushmeat trade. Five species of slow loris are listed as either "Vulnerable" or "Endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Their conservation status was originally listed as "Least Concern" in 2000 because of imprecise population surveys and the frequency in which these primates were found in animal markets. Because of their rapidly declining populations and local extinctions, their status was updated and in 2007 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) elevated them to Appendix I, which prohibits international commercial trade. Local laws also protect slow lorises, but enforcement is lacking in most areas. Slow lorises are regularly smuggled and sold as exotic pets in Japan, the United States, and Europe. Their popularity is largely due to their "cute" appearance and highly viewed pet videos on YouTube. (Full article...)

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