Animal abuse holds a long history. Fortunately, many countries now have well-defined animal protection laws, but there remain regions in the world where animals are being held illegally.
Over the years, the Wildlife Friends Foundation in Thailand has rescued countless wild animals, all of which were once ill or severely injured. These animals have all been neglected and mistreated in their former lives, and, after their rescue, were able to spend their days in "sanctuaries" that closely mimic the environment of their natural habitats.
One of the organization's most recent rescues is a tiny baby loris. The poor little guy is thought to have been procured for an exotic pet trade. Very sadly, lorises are illegally traded often in the country. Their teeth are often removed because they contain poison. Many lorises die of botched removal attempts.
Furthermore, like many other animal rescue groups, WFFT tries hard to raise awareness about nature conservation and to educate people about the illegal trade industry.
Read on to find out this little loris' story. What did you think of the new chance at life that this little loris has been given? Let us know in the comments below!
Since its inception in 2003, the Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand has rescued countless injured and abused wild animals, including monkeys, elephants, and muntjacs. Most notably, the organization works to save animals that have been abused badly by humans, and to rehabilitate them as effectively as possible. It also keeps animals that are too weak to return to their natural habitats.
WFFT staff recently took in a baby slow loris that had been illegally kept as a pet. The baby was the 50th loris that the center rescued this year. This species of loris has become increasingly endangered, as they are both prized and hunted for their body parts. Many believe that their body parts can help cure physical ailments and diseases.
The baby loris was originally bought by a third party from a poacher or dealer, and was illegally kept as a pet. The "owners" were not educated about the loris' diet, and had kept it enclosed in a tight space for a long time. As a result, the baby was suffering from severe bone deficiency and malnutrition.
The baby loris has since gone through its first rounds of treatment, and was recently quarantined.
According to the foundation, many people have misconceptions about just how cruelly lorises have been treated, and how widely they're hunted. Ever since the "tickled slow loris" video went viral on YouTube, the species has been viewed as cute, furry companions, rather than as highly endangered wild animals.
There are so many more lorises out there that still need to be saved. Like many rare animals, they are consistently being targeted by poachers, who sell them into the exotic pet trade. We can only hope that more people will become educated about this despicable practice of animal cruelty.
To visit the WFFT's Facebook page, and to see other animals that the organization has saved, click here.
Please SHARE if you're looking forward to seeing this poor baby heal completely!
