Field surveys of the Vulnerable pygmy slow loris Nycticebus pygmaeus using local knowledge in Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia

Abstract

Field surveys of the Vulnerable pygmy slow loris Nycticebus pygmaeus using local knowledge in Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia C a r l y S t a r r , K . A . I . N e k a r i s , U l r i k e S t r e i c h e r and L u k e K . -P . L e u n g Abstract The pygmy slow loris Nycticebus pygmaeus is a little-studied primate endemic to Vietnam, Laos, southern China and eastern Cambodia. Our study aimed to gain local knowledge on the distribution and ecology of, and threats to, the species by interviewing hunters, traders and wildlife protection staff, and to verify this information using a spotlighting survey in three major reserves in Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia. Encounter rates of pygmy loris were assessed along 29 transects (129.5 km), yielding observations of 26 individuals. Mean encounter rates were 0.40 km -1 in Seima Protection Forest, 0.10 km -1 in Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary and 0.00 km -1 in Mondulkiri Protected Forest. Informants had knowledge of where populations occurred, their diet, sociality and habitat preferences. Widespread large population declines were reported and informants linked this to high hunting pressure, particularly in 2001 and 2002. In late 2008 and 2009 we resurveyed three transects that had high encounter rates in early 2008 and failed to detect any lorises. Local informants reported high hunting pressure during the previous wet season in two of these sites, and a gold mine development was underway in the third site. Urgent actions are required to address these population declines and to assess the conservation status of pygmy lorises throughout eastern Cambodia.

Traditional use of slow lorises Nycticebus bengalensis and N. pygmaeus in Cambodia: an impediment to their conservation

“…This might be the result of overexploitation, reducing the population size and hence harvest (Wilkie & Carpenter 1999), and/or increased enforcement initiatives in the capital city. However, field surveys of lorises have indicated high hunting pressure in recent years, and subsequent population decline in Cambodia (Starr et al 2010). Pygmy lorises had a consistently higher market value than northern slow lorises and were reported by sellers to be more potent, indicating the preference of using the former.…”

Pygmy slow loris Nycticebus pygmaeus—natural diet replication in captivity

“…These small primates are endemic to Vietnam, Laos, southern China and eastern Cambodia (Starr et al 2011). They inhabit various environments, all containing abundant amounts of leaf cover such as bam-boo forests, mixed deciduous hardwood forests and dense scrubland (Nekaris & Bearder 2011).…”

Survival of reintroduced pygmy slow loris Nycticebus pygmaeus in South Vietnam

“…The presence of bamboo is assumed to be an important factor for the presence of pygmy lorises in Cambodia , although high en counter rates have also been found in areas entirely without bamboo (Streicher 2010). Whilst Starr et al (2011) reported high encounter rates in deciduous forests, Streicher (2010) found higher encounter rates in evergreen forests.…”