The slow loris is an endangered species of primate, and one loris was found on the roadside of a county seat in southwest China's Yunnan Province last Wednesday, and local police rescued it and sent it to a nearby nature reserve three days later.

The animal was found at around 23:30 in Jinping County of Yunnan's Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Upon receiving the help call, local police rushed to the site, put the animal safely in a carton, and notified the local natural resource department.

"The creature was verified to be a slow loris, a wild animal under first class state protection in China. It is listed as vulnerable in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix I, and is also listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)," said Sun Xiyao, a natural resources police officer of the county. 

After checkup, the loris was found in good shape. After one day's observation, the police decided to bring the healthy animal back to nature. Then they sent the loris to a nearby national nature reserve. 

The slow loris is one of the smallest monkey species in China. It is a nocturnal primate that feeds on fruits, insects and small mammals. It mainly inhabit in China's Yunnan Province, and Vietnam, Laos and eastern Cambodia.

(Cover image via VCG)

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