BENGALURU: A group of scientists and naturalists have just launched a citizen science project on the slender loris, an elusive, nocturnal primate that was common in Bengaluru’s urban areas till recently.
Today, this shy animal remains restricted to only a few sites. So, where have the lorises gone? Where did they live in Bengaluru before the city became a metropolis? To answer these vital questions, trained citizen scientists are participating in the survey. The group is also conducting an online survey and interviewing old-time residents who grew up in the city before it became the Silicon Valley of India.
Dr Kaberi Kar Gupta is trained in wildlife biology from the Wildlife Institute of India, and in anthropology from Arizona State University. She studied the slender loris in Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu for about a decade for her PhD research. She is currently a visiting scientist at the Centre for Ecological Science, Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
Dr Gupta says, “Slender lorises can be seen in pockets like IISc, Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra and other such places. They like to sleep in a cocoon of greenery and these places suit them. They move about by crawling through connected tree branches. Recently, we spotted a female with an infant in GKVK and hope she will have more babies.”
Prem Koshy, owner of the popular Koshy’s restaurant and an active participant in the project, says, “I have seen many lorises in Bengaluru. I have also seen them near my home and the surrounding green patches.”
Kaberi and her group hold nocturnal surveys in IISc. Another part of her project is to investigate how loss of habitat, illegal pet trade and hunting reduced the population of lorises. People interested in the online survey can answer questions at .