'Lonely Loris' and 'Amal' come together in hope and love

Earlier this year, in an unfortunate story that breaks the heart, an endangered and vulnerable doe-eyed male slow loris, was found abandoned on the streets of the UAE. With the help of our biologists and local authorities, his successful relocation and nurturing back to health at The Green Planet was a heartwarming success.

Lonely Loris (as he is now famously known) has a special place in the hearts of the team at The Green Planet. Until recently, the team were working hard to find him a suitable partner, searching zoo databases globally to try find love for our lonely primate.

However, in another sad moment, the search to find Lonely Loris a partner had to be put on hold. Another slow loris, this time a female, had been found abandoned in the region. Following this discovery, the UAE authorities reached out to The Green Planet, who were honored to offer this lost primate a safe home and support.

This abandoned female slow loris was named ‘Amal’, or ‘Hope’ in English, and as she started to settle in well at her new home, our team of biologist’s have slowly introduced them to each other for breeding purposes. As the pair have been together for several weeks, bonding wonderfully, Amal has captured the heart of Lonely Loris, as we all hoped.

Lonely Loris has defied the odds and found love at The Green Planet – a rags to riches story that resulted in a happy ending. These two lorises, with their trials, can now help play an important role as ambassadors for their species, allowing our visitors to learn more about the plights of the slow loris.

The Green Planet will be building them a new home within the facility – a habitat that has been specifically designed just for the special pair.

Why is this important?

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 slow loris, which originates from the depth of Asia, are a CITES 1 animal, meaning they are at significant risk of extinction in the wild.

The team at The Green Planet want to highlight the growing concern of the illegal animal trade in the region. Our team are on hand to offer insights into this endangered species and educate the community on the dangers of illegal wildlife trade.

Lonely Loris and Amal share their home with over 3,000 plants and animals at The Green Planet, a rainforest glass bio-dome located in City Walk. If you would like to visit them, you can come the understory level, located on the second floor within the indoor tropical rainforest.

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