Slow loris released in Indonesian national park

National park to release Javanese lemurs into wild
Antara 12 Apr 10;

Bogor, W Java, April 12 (ANTARA) - Some 20 Javanese Lemurs (Nycticebus javanicus) are to be released into the wild by the Halimun Mountain National Park in cooperation with International Animal Rescue (IAR).

"Their release is intended to return the animals to their natural habitats, and at the same time to observe the primate`s habits to devise a strategy to promote their breeding, " said Halimun Mountain National Park chief Bambang Supriyanto here Monday.

Bambang said the event would be conducted on Wednesday (Apr 14) in Ciapus, Bogor, West Java.

To monitor the primate`s activity, all the 20 lemurs would be equipped with six collar radio transmitters. The monitoring would be done over a six-month period by an expert from IAR, Dr. Richard Moore.

The research on the Lemurs would focus on their breeding habits and life cycle to obtain a scientific understanding of the primate`s role in the wild.

"This understanding will help to maintain their population. The effort is very important to prevent them from becoming extinct by human activity such as hunting and illegal trading," Bambang said.

Indonesia IAR director Darma said the Javanese Lemurs that are endemic in Java Island are a species that help the continuity of the ecosystem of forests.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Javanese Lemurs are a rare species mentioned in appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora.

The Lemur population in Java island is believed to be dropping by 10-15 percent annually and the 20 lemurs to be released into the wild were obtained from illegal trading in East Java and had been rehabilitated by IAR Indonesia, he said.

Very little research has so far been done on the nocturnal primate in its habitat because of their arboreal characteristic.(*)