Friendly rapport with the loris

If you travel from Tumakuru to Kunigal on Tumakuru-Mysuru road, you will come across a board saying “Welcome to the place of slender lorises” in a village called Nagavalli. If you are somebody who has a penchant for local flora and fauna, then you will definitely want to explore more of this interesting place.

The slender loris (Loris tardigradus), smallest of the primates in India, is found in abundance in and around the village. The IUCN has listed them as an endangered species and they are also listed under the Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972, according them the highest level of legal protection.

Community conservation efforts of slender loris in Nagavalli are led by B V Gundappa, who was once the headmaster of the Government High School in the village.

Gundappa is a teacher by profession, but environmentalist by passion.
He created awareness among villagers about the environmental wealth they have right in their neighbourhood and encouraged his students and the villagers to actively participate in protecting the slender loris.

The village came to know about the rare animal in 1996, when two children spotted a couple of them and were surprised to see monkeys with ‘different’ features. Later, the villagers began learning more about these creatures with the help of Gundappa.

How it began
In 2001, a team, under the leadership of Professor Madhav Gadgil of Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, identified 54 schools in the State, where there was considerable concentration of such rare animal species. It was then that they began to involve schools in conservation drives and
conducted surveys about the animals. In one such effort, notable work was done by Nagavalli Government High School.

Farmer and photographer Shivaji, who is an alumnus of the school recalls how it started. When the survey of biodiversity started around his school and village, 100 students in 10 batches started identifying and recording medicinal plants, animals and other information.

Every student who participated in the survey found that their work was honoured and this gave them an incentive to become more interested in the subject. He remembers how every student felt that these species must be protected and helped. He is now the main contact point for the people who come to sight the slender lorises.

Thanks to the signboard that associates the place with slender lorises, many
villagers and travellers came in flocks. Many people even misunderstood, thinking the school to be a rearing centre for slender lorises. Villagers even assumed the school to be a research centre for these tiny creatures. Consequently, they started capturing them and bringing them to school, hoping for a reward. It was then that the teachers of the school started conducting awareness drives and community meetings to educate the villagers about the animals. Gradually, villagers started to feel proud of the fact that their village was a host to such endangered species.

Thimmanna, a farmer from Sopanahalli has become a walking encyclopedia on slender lorises. He regularly observes them while engaging in his farming work. He also serves as an information centre for the visitors and knows about where and what these creatures are doing.

He feels proud about these animals. He says, “I wasn’t aware of these beautiful creatures. Intrigued by the specialinterest shown by researchers and wildlife enthusiasts, I decided to explore them. I kept a close eye on their movements and features. This doesn’t really fetch money or any material benefits but it does give you satisfaction and pride.”

So, why is the slender loris found in and around Nagavalli village so special? These slender lorises are rare species that are only found in South India. Spread across five sq km surrounding the village, there are about 60-65 slender lorises that have been identified by Gundappa himself, with the help of locals. This may vary as villagers think that there may be more in numbers.

Even after having given due care to them, 10 per cent of these unique species are lost due to lack of vegetation, food contamination and habitat encroachment. Even though villagers have been educated on this matter, sometimes they  burn weed and cut the bamboo trees, home of the slender lorises. Water scarcity is another major threat to their lives.

Community Conservation
In Tumakuru district, you can find slender lorises in Kunigal, Devarayanadurga and Magadi areas. Though the slender loris is a nocturnal animal, it can be spotted in Nagavalli in daytime too. Most of these animals come out of their hiding places after it is dark.  So, if you want to look at these beautiful creations of nature, night-time is perfect. Nagavalli, Lakkenahalli, Ranganathapura, Sopanahalli, Tippasandra, Pannasandra, Ballagere, Nirupasandra, Banavara, Dommanakuppe villages are host to a considerable population of lorises.

In a bid to do their bit for protecting environment, villagers are actively
involved in tree-protection. Even the Forest Department has lent their support by protecting the places where these lorises are found.

Many nature enthusiasts, documentary makers, wildlife researchers, scientists, journalists and photographers come to meet the lorises here. You too can pay a visit here, if you wish to catch a glimpse of these wonderful creatures.