Helena Fitch-Snyder helped conduct a survey of the loris in northern Vietnam.
Learn about efforts to conserve this rare nocturnal primate.
 
 

About the Loris Project Our Adventure Begins My First Loris Sighting Other Loris Sightings Benefits of Bamboo Wood poaching Loris Conservation

Helena´s other websites: To the personal website and publication list To the husbandry manual for Asian Lorisines (H. Fitch-Snyder, H. Schulze, eds., 2001) To the loris and potto conservation database

About the Loris Project Lorises are specialized, nocturnal primates from Asia. Very little is known about them in the wild. Three kinds of loris reside at the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES) loris facility, where scientists have been conducting a wide range of studies on their behavior, biology, reproduction, and genetics. Of the three currently recognized loris species, two of them, the slow loris (Nycticebus coucang) and the pygmy loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus), are found in Vietnam. Lorises are especially challenging to study in the wild because they live in dense forests, and are only active at night. Until very recently, it has not been possible to conduct nocturnal surveys in the Vietnamese forests. Thanks in part to the persistence of Professor Vu Ngoc Thanh from Hanoi University, and the support of wildlife officials at Ben En National Park, we were able to perform a loris survey in northern Vietnam. We have also initiated research, education, and conservation programs for these primates.

The pygmy loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus).

Ben En National Park is 16,634 hectares  (over 41,000 acres). Helena, seated second from the right,  was the only person on the research team  who did not speak Vietnamese.

Our Adventure Begins It took several long days to reach our research site. From Hanoi, we drove all day to get to Ben En National Park. It is only about 124 miles (200 kilometers) south of Hanoi, but the roads were rough (especially by jeep). We also had to stop in every province, district, and commune to obtain permits, and meet with government and forestry officials. We spent the first night at the park headquarters, and the director informed me that I was the first westerner to ever visit that reserve. Ben En Park contains over 41,000 acres (16,634 total hectares), and about 14 percent of the park consists of an artificial lake with many islands and peninsulas. The local villagers living in the areas we visited were of Thai and Tho nationalities, both of which subsist on rice farming. We traveled by motorboat to a site further into the forest, and spent the following night at a forestry station. After dark, we rode in a shallow "bamboo basket" boat to a nearby island, but we weren't able to find any lorises. We used the same boats the following day to travel to a larger, more distant island. After hiking for several hours, we found an old abandoned forestry station where we set up our tents. This site was located in a secondary forest with mixed bamboo and hardwood trees. By this time, we had accumulated 12 people on our research team: Dr. Pham Trong Anh, Professor Vu Ngoc Thanh and one of his students, two forestry officials from Ben En Park, and several local guides, porters, cooks, and camp guards. I happened to be the only woman, and also the only person on our team who did not speak Vietnamese. Fortunately, professor Thanh and a few other team members knew enough English so that we could communicate.

The villagers subsist on rice farming  in the area near Ben En National Park.	Shallow "bamboo basket" boats took researchers to nearby islands.

My First Loris Sighting February 22, 2001 I can hardly believe that after 30 years of studying these animals, I finally saw my first loris in the wild! Since we didn't find any lorises on the first two trails we explored, we chose three new trails the next night. This area of the forest was thick with tall grasses, bamboo, and endemic hardwood trees. The trails were very narrow, and many of the branches hung down so low that we had to stoop as we walked. After several long hours, I was beginning to wonder if there really were any primates left in this forest at all. We had seen no evidence of any of the eight primate species that were reported to live in this reserve. Reports from the local people weren't encouraging about the presence of other primates, but they did confirm that lorises had recently been seen in this area of the forest. Suddenly, my headlamp caught the unmistakable reddish-orange eye shine of a loris on top of a tall tree. I immediately alerted my assistants, and they both began to climb the tree to try to catch it. We were hoping to get a closer view of the loris so that we could determine the sex, estimate its age, and take some photographs.

After 30 years of studying captive lorises,  Helena saw a wild loris for the first time. (Photo taken by Vu Ngoc Thanh)

The loris was about 30 feet (9 meters) high in the tree, but I was amazed at how quickly my assistants could climb up after it. I tried to keep the loris in view with my headlamp, but it appeared and disappeared whenever it blinked its eyes or turned its head. We were able to determine that it was a pygmy loris ( Nycticebus pygmaeus) because of its size and coat pattern. It also had a distinctive dark stripe down its back.

After we spent nearly 30 minutes pursuing the loris, it finally moved out of view, and our team headed back to camp to report our find to the rest of the crew. Everyone congratulated me for being the first person to find a loris, and we had a hearty celebration. After all the years of work that led up to this event, it was extremely rewarding to finally see a real live loris in the Vietnamese forest!

Other Loris Sightings March 2, 2001 We traveled through the forest to our next site by jeep. Many of the roads were little more than footpaths and water buffalo trails that were made additionally challenging because of the muddy conditions and thick overgrowth. Therefore, we had to rely on the assistance of several local villagers to help widen the road so that we could reach our destination. For most of the way, we walked ahead on the trail and waited for the jeep to catch up with us. The local children were very curious because they had never seen a Westerner before, and a large group followed us as we walked along the road. When we reached the second field site, we stayed with a local Thai family in their bamboo house. This spot was further away from the lake than the first place we surveyed, and the villagers' homes had a spectacular view of the nearby mountains. We found a variety of interesting animals in this location. Some of the frogs were particularly fascinating, including a giant green tree frog that was larger than a man's hand. Two animals that our local guides were not pleased to encounter were a green bamboo viper snake and a scops owl. Owls are believed to bring bad luck, and for that matter, so are lorises! It is amazing that we were able to convince our guides to do the night surveys at all. All of our efforts finally paid off on our third night at this site. The weather had become very damp and misty, and the heavy drizzle reduced the effectiveness of our headlamps. Our team decided to split up into four groups so that we could cover more territory. We were thrilled to find seven pygmy lorises that night, and we even managed to catch one! The one we caught turned out to be a handsome young male, and Professor Thanh brought him back to camp in his backpack. The following day, we took photographs, measurements, hair samples (for genetic analysis), and fecal samples (for diet and parasite analysis). This loris happened to have a heavy load of pinworm parasites, but otherwise, he looked very healthy. We released him into the forest after we finished collecting data.

This fluffy animal is a slow loris  (Nycticebus coucang), the other loris  species that lives in Ben En National Park. Helena and Professor Thanh collect  important data on this wild loris before  returning it to the wild.

Curious local children had never seen  a Westerner before.	This giant green tree frog is larger  than a man's hand.

Benefits of Bamboo
March 4, 2001

I am fascinated at the seemingly endless uses for bamboo. Besides building their homes, boats, and fences out of it, the villagers even use the pulp to make paper. My Vietnamese research team used bamboo tubes to design carrying cases for the batteries that were attached to their headlamps. They also carved tobacco pipes and musical instruments from bamboo. Many of these items were left behind as we walked through the forest. Several types of bamboo are abundant in this forest, and it only takes a few minutes for our local guides to fashion a new pipe or flute with a few hacks of their sharp knives.

I was able to fully appreciate the value of this plant after I experienced a memorable event in the forest. Usually our team ate our meals in camp, so I was surprised when one of my assistants showed me some dried noodles that he was carrying, and told me that we were going to cook them in the forest that afternoon. Where was our pot to boil the water? How would we eat the noodles without bowls or eating utensils? When we arrived at our resting spot, our local guide quickly went to work building a fire by a stream, and cutting thick green stocks of bamboo that grew nearby. He filled a large tube with water from the stream, and packed the top end with leaves to form a lid. He placed this cooking utensil directly over the fire, and held it upright with a bamboo frame. The fire was so hot that the outside of the tube sizzled and turned black, but it still held up to the tremendous heat. While waiting for the water to boil, my assistants formed large bamboo stalks into bowls, and carved chopsticks for each of us. When the water was boiling, we placed our dried noodles into the bowls, and poured in the water. In a few minutes, our meal was ready to eat. The noodles had a wonderfully delicious flavor that came from the green bamboo cooking vessels.
I am very impressed with the way that our local guides were so knowledgeable about the wealth of resources in their forest environment. They are able to identify food, medicine, or tool uses for nearly everything in the forest.
 

Helena learned that thick bamboo  can be used like a pot to boil water  for noodles.	Even chopsticks can be fashioned  out of bamboo.	Villagers find endless uses  for versatile bamboo.

Wood Poaching
March 5, 2001

Even though the forest and wildlife are legally protected, the laws are difficult to enforce. The forest rangers do not have the time or resources to patrol most areas of the reserve. One added benefit of doing this loris survey is that it provided a rare opportunity for rangers to travel to some of the more remote areas of the park. Unfortunately, we found clear evidence of wood poaching in both of our main survey areas.
It is very time-consuming for the local people to poach the large, endemic hardwood trees. After the trees are felled, each tree must be cut into manageable pieces using handsaws and other primitive tools. The poachers then transport the wood out of the forest via water buffalo or bicycle. Along the trails, we found at least five fallen trees that were being prepared for transport. The rangers also caught two groups of poachers carrying wood out of the forest. Rangers usually fine the poachers and confiscate their tools. In some cases, the rangers may also confiscate the poachers' water buffalo and bicycles.
Although I was glad to see the forest was being protected, I had mixed feelings about the poachers who were just trying to provide for their families. These people, like their ancestors, lived in these areas long before Ben En became a national forest. One of the biggest challenges of habitat protection is balancing the needs of the people with those of the environment. I hope that we will be able to develop conservation programs that benefit everyone.
 

Taking wood from the protected forest is,  unfortunately, a common occurrence. Photos taken by Vu Ngoc Thanh	Rangers can confiscate a poacher's  bike or water buffalo.

 

Lorises such as this one are often sold  as pets or used for medicine. Photo taken by Vu Ngoc Thanh This island may be used for future loris research projects. Photo taken by Vu Ngoc Thanh

Loris Conservation March 10, 2001 As excited as I am about finding lorises in the wild, I am also very concerned about the continued survival of these primates. Local hunters capture lorises primarily because they are valuable in the Chinese medicine market. A local villager can get approximately $3 (American) for a pygmy loris, and slow lorises can fetch as much as $15, because they are larger. This amount is comparable to two weeks' salary for the average Vietnamese person. Locals use lorises for food and medicine. They're also kept as pets and sold to tourists. These unfortunate lorises are usually kept in tiny cages, and are given little more than white rice and bananas to eat. In the wild, lorises feed on a wide range of fruits, insects, and birds, and they also eat the sap from certain trees. Forestry officials rarely have the time to confiscate illegally kept lorises because most of their efforts are focused on protecting the forest itself. They did, however, confiscate a group of three pygmy lorises and one slow loris during the time we were doing our survey. This confiscation provided a great opportunity for our team to take measurements, photographs, and collect hair samples for genetic analysis. Since lorises are becoming increasingly difficult to find, we were encouraged to learn that they were still present in Ben En National Park. The park director is very interested in protecting them, and he has decided to make the park an official reserve for lorises. We discussed several ideas for providing educational materials to the local villagers, and also for designing a loris logo for the park. The Zoological Society of San Diego is already working with Vietnamese wildlife experts to develop a loris conservation poster that will be distributed throughout Vietnam. The Ben En forestry officials have identified an island in the reserve that has suitable habitat for confiscated lorises. This is where we released the four lorises that we examined earlier. The island also has potential for future research projects. If we can attach radio collars to the lorises that are released here, we will be able to study their behavior and make sure that they are adjusting well to their release site.

Another way we can help is by sharing information that has already been learned through loris captive breeding programs, such as the one we have at the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES). Along with several other scientific publications, we have recently published a loris husbandry manual. This book provides information about the basic biology, behavior, and care of lorises. With additional financial assistance from keepers at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, a translator in Hanoi has nearly completed a Vietnamese version of this manual. Basic loris husbandry information will then be available to the Vietnamese wildlife officials, local zoos, and rescue centers.

I am encouraged that we are developing collaborative conservation programs for lorises and other species. It is especially important for us to pursue these efforts now, while lorises are still present, rather than waiting until there are only a few remaining in the wild.
 

A confiscated loris is released in an island reserve  set up for these rare primates.	We can encourage loris conservation by distributing t-shirts, posters, and other  educational materials.

Figures and text: copyright San Diego Zoological Society, with permission