The slow loris may be one of the cutest animals in the world, and they have the social media presence to prove it.
This does not mean that they make good pets. My general principle is that if an animal is not a dog (Canis lupus familiaris) or a cat (Felis silvestris catus), then you should probably think very hard before keeping it as a pet. (Other animals that have become fully-domesticated companion animals include rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, parakeets, and, I grudgingly acknowledge, ferrets. Goldfish too, I guess.) An animal born into captivity might, in an individual case, get on well with humans, but that still doesn’t make it a good idea as a general rule. Not only is it not safe for humans, it is often unspeakably cruel to the animals.
The slow loris is but one example, but it’s a doozy. I’m citing Wikipedia here for the sole purpose of saving time. Click through to the article to see all of the citations.
Slow lorises are sold locally at street markets, but are also sold internationally over the Internet and in pet stores.[129][130] They are especially popular or trendy in Japan, particularly among women.[120][129] The reasons for their popularity, according to the Japan Wildlife Conservation Society, are that “they’re easy to keep, they don’t cry, they’re small, and just very cute.”[120] Because of their “cuteness”, videos of pet slow lorises are some of the mostly frequently watched animal-related viral videos on YouTube.[60][123] In March 2011, a newly posted video of a slow loris holding a cocktail umbrella had been viewed more than two million times, while an older video of a slow loris being tickled had been viewed more than six million times.[131] According to Nekaris, these videos are misunderstood by most people who watch them, since most do not realize that it is illegal in most countries to own them as pets and that the slow lorises in the videos are only docile because that is their passive defensive reaction to threatening situations.[123][131] Despite frequent advertisements by pet shops in Japan, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre reported only a few dozen slow lorises were imported in 2006, suggesting frequent smuggling.[83] Slow lorises are also smuggled to China, Taiwan, Europe, Russia, the United States, and Saudi Arabia for use as pets.[130][120][131]
Even within their countries of origin, slow lorises are very popular pets,[132]particularly in Indonesia.[133] They are seen as a “living toy” for children by local people or are bought out of pity by Western tourists or expatriates. Neither local nor foreign buyers usually know anything about these primates, their endangered status, or that the trade is illegal.[134] Furthermore, few know about their strong odor or their potentially lethal bite.[135] According to data compiled from monthly surveys and interviews with local traders, nearly a thousand locally sourced slow lorises exchanged hands in the Medan bird market in North Sumatra during the late first decade of the 21st century.[132]
International trade usually causes a high mortality rate during transit, between 30% and 90%. Slow lorises also experience many health problems due to both local and international trade.[120] In order to give the impression that the primates are tame and appropriate pets for children,[136] to protect people from their potentially toxic bite,[127]or to deceive buyers into thinking the animal is a baby,[120] animal dealers either pull the front teeth with pliers or wire cutters or they cut them off with nail cutters.[60][132][134] This results in severe bleeding, which sometimes causes shock or death.[60] Dental infection is common and is fatal in 90% of cases.[134][136] Without their teeth, the animals can no longer fend for themselves in the wild, and must remain in captivity for life.[134][136] The slow lorises found in animal markets are usually underweight and malnourished, and have had their fur dyed, which complicates species identification at rescue centers.[130] As many as 95% of the slow lorises rescued from the markets die of dental infection or improper care.[136]
As part of the trade, infants are pulled prematurely from their parents, leaving them unable to remove their own urine, feces, and oily skin secretions from their fur. Slow lorises have a special network of blood vessels in their hands and feet, which makes them vulnerable to cuts when pulled from the wire cages they are kept in.[120] Slow lorises are also stress-sensitive and do not do well in captivity. Common health problems seen in pet slow lorises include undernourishment, tooth decay, diabetes, obesity, and kidney failure.[123] Infection, stress, pneumonia, and poor nutrition lead to high death rates among pet lorises.[134] Pet owners also fail to provide proper care because they are usually asleep when the nocturnal pet is awake.[123][136]
[Emphasis added]
The toxicity of a slow loris’ bite is at least somewhat uncertain, which makes the practice of tooth removal even worse.
If you want an adorable tiny pet, get a puppy or a kitten from a shelter, but only if you have enough time to care care of it properly.
