Re-wilding confiscated slow loris in Thailand.

Love Wildlife Foundation has long supported the welfare of slow lorises to the government confiscation center, Bangphra Waterbird Breeding Center (BWBC) in Chonburi Province through the provision of essential resources. Our support includes providing tree gum as a main food source, veterinary medicines, and improving enclosures and quarantine facilities to ensure better health and well-being for confiscated slow lorises.

In 2025, we conducted training sessions on slow loris ecology and nocturnal animal survey techniques for forest rangers from the Khao Kheow–Khao Chomphu Wildlife Sanctuary, located near the confiscation center. After the training, our team conducted field surveys to better understand how slow lorises live in the wild, with a special focus on what they eat and how they feed. The information collected will be used as baseline data for future slow loris release programs.

Night surveys were conducted between 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM using red-light torches to avoid disturbing the animals’ eyes. Behaviors were recorded every five minutes. In total, we recorded 1,720 behavioral observations, including 207 feeding events. The results showed that slow loris diets change with the seasons. The most frequently consumed food was nectar from cotton trees (39.1%), followed by tree gum (36.7%), flowers (8.7%), insects (7.7%), leaves (6.3%), and fruits (1.4%).

One important finding was that gum from hog plum trees (Spondias pinnata) is available year-round and can be eaten directly from naturally broken branches, without the need for bark gouging. This highlights the importance of protecting natural food trees within release areas and using similar food sources in captive care.

The findings from this survey have been shared with the confiscation center to help improve captive management practices, making care conditions closer to what slow lorises experience in nature. The next phase of the project will focus on observing slow lorises in large enclosures, which will help us select suitable individuals for future release efforts and improve their chances of survival in the wild.

This project is made possible by the generous support of our donors. Your contributions not only improve the daily lives of confiscated slow lorises but also help build a strong scientific foundation for their long-term conservation and successful return to the wild.