Re-wilding confiscated slow loris in Thailand.

The Bangphra Waterbird Breeding Center (BWBC) currently cares for a large number of confiscated slow lorises. Improving the welfare of these animals is therefore an important and ongoing priority. In particular, providing a safe and suitable environment that allows slow lorises to express natural behaviors is essential for maintaining their physical and behavioral well-being in captivity.

As part of our ongoing work at BWBC, we provided training for staff responsible for the care of captive slow lorises. The training shared knowledge and practical approaches developed through our previous welfare studies and experiments. Topics included the selection and provision of suitable sleeping sites, as well as the use of food-based and activity-based enrichment to encourage natural behaviors. These approaches included providing live insects and different forms of tree gum as supplementary food and enrichment.

Our previous studies have helped us better understand how slow lorises respond to different environments, sleeping sites, and methods of food presentation. The findings provide practical guidance that can be applied to improve the care of slow lorises at BWBC. By incorporating these approaches into daily husbandry, staff can provide environmental conditions and enrichment that are better suited to the animals' natural behaviors and needs.

However, BWBC continues to face limitations in space and infrastructure for caring for the slow lorises. Large Enclosures are particularly important because they provide more space and opportunities for slow lorises to express natural behaviors, including climbing, moving between trees, exploring their surroundings, and foraging. These enclosures also provide a more suitable environment for observing and developing natural behaviors in individuals that may have the potential to undergo rehabilitation and, following appropriate assessment, be released back into the wild in the future.

Recently, a large tree fell onto part of the enclosure area and damaged the Large Enclosures used for this purpose. As a result, all 17 slow lorises that had previously been housed in these enclosures had to be moved back into smaller cages, as the center does not currently have enough large spaces to accommodate them. This sudden reduction in space and change in their environment may negatively affect their behavior and welfare. Some individuals have already shown signs of stress following the move to smaller cages.

This situation highlights the urgent need to restore and improve the facilities at BWBC. Repairing the damaged Large Enclosures will allow the slow lorises to return to a more spacious and naturalistic environment where they can maintain and develop behaviors that are important for their welfare and potential future rehabilitation. Restoring these enclosures will also provide a safer and more appropriate setting for staff to continue implementing behavioral enrichment and assessing the animals' suitability for future conservation efforts, including potential release into the wild where appropriate.

In addition to repairing the damaged enclosures, providing appropriate equipment and continuing to improve the captive environment will help BWBC provide better long-term care for the slow lorises. These improvements will support their welfare while creating better conditions for individuals that may eventually have the potential to return to their natural habitat.