AKRON, Ohio -- A rare pygmy slow loris has been born at the Akron Zoo for only the second time in its history.
Currently the baby is being raised by its mother off exhibit in the zoo's Animal Care Center. The pygmy slow loris is a highly threatened primate and listed as a vulnerable species.
The baby, a male, was born Aug. 21 and weighed just 21 grams.
According to the zoo's veterinarian staff, the baby has been thriving and currently weighs about 185 grams.
The baby was the first for the mother, Casey.
Frank, the baby's father, also fathered the first pygmy slow loris that was born at the zoo in 2008.
"The birth of this rare primate is critical to the future of this species," says Akron Zoo President & CEO L. Patricia Simmons. "Trying to save threatened species like the pygmy slow loris and educate people about them is the vital role we, as an accredited zoo through the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, play. Births like this are extraordinary and I commend our Animal Care Staff for their hard work."
The slow loris gets its name in part from its slow, sloth-like movements. On average, full-sized adults weigh about 7-14 ounces.
The pygmy slow loris is indigenous to Vietnam, Laos, China, Thailand and Cambodia.
Their diet generally consists of fruits, insects, vegetation and small mammals.
They are primarily threatened due to deforestation, hunting and capture for pet trade.
