Rescued primate settles in new Dubai home with Lonely Loris

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Rescued primate settles in new Dubai home with Lonely Loris

Dubai - The loris that was spotted in Umm Al Quwain was rescued by Amal and Naima Suresh.

Dhanusha Gokulan

Published: Mon 3 Jun 2019, 11:16 PM

Last updated: Tue 4 Jun 2019, 1:18 AM

An abandoned slow loris, rescued by an Indian couple, has found a new home at The Green Planet in Dubai.

The loris that was spotted in Umm Al Quwain was rescued by Amal and Naima Suresh, who then contacted Khaleej Times in Aprilafter realising that it is an endangered animal.

After months of waiting, the couple was overjoyed to have learnt that the loris - a female - has been relocated to the emirate's indoor rainforest to join Lonely Loris, which was also found abandoned in Dubai earlier this year. To the family's surprise, the loris has been named 'Hope' or 'Amal' in Arabic, after her rescuer Amal Suresh.

Perfect Eid gift

In April, Khaleej Times reported the story of how the couple found Amal in their building and welcomed her into their home, feeding it for some time. Now that their loris friend is in a safe environment, they said they were "so happy".

Naima laughed and said, "My husband's name is also Amal. It's the best Eid gift we have received".

"We coordinated with the authorities that KT put us in touch with and dropped her off at a veterinary clinic, as per their instructions. We had taken a day off work to bring her to Dubai. When we found out that the loris is an endangered species, all we wanted was to keep her safe," Naima said.

Officials at the Green Planet said 'romance is in the air' at the glass-enclosed rainforest biodome, as the team has been able to fulfil their quest to find love for Lonely Loris.

Victoria Lynn, general manager for family entertainment centres at Meraas, said the Green Planet team had been in contact with the family who originally rescued Amal throughout the process.

"They have been cooperating with the police on the investigation that is all part of our ongoing efforts to hopefully stop this type of illegal animal trade in this region," Lynn said.

"Like Lonely Loris, Amal has had a tough run, being illegally smuggled into the country as part of the concerning illegal animal trade in the region. The lorises, which originate from the depth of Asia, are thought to have been illegally trafficked into the country. The primate is a CITES 1 animal, meaning it is at significant risk of extinction in the wild.

"Amal, like Lonely, received a full veterinary check-up after being rescued. Her vets have determined that she is a full-grown, mature adult who is slightly older than Lonely. Unfortunately, since she is a rescue animal, there is no definitive way of knowing her exact age," she added.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com