The pygmy slow loris has declined in numbers as a result of extensive
habitat degradation throughout its range, including north-eastern Cambodia, the Yunnan Province of China, and Vietnam. In Yunnan province, nearly all primary evergreen forests have
vanished and
secondary forests have been heavily
degraded; as of 2005, forest cover has been reduced by 42% since the mid-1990s. The use of
defoliants, such as
Agent Orange, during the
Vietnam War and the ongoing clearing of forests in Vietnam have resulted in a considerable loss of habitat. As of 2003, the forest cover had been reduced to 30% of its original area, with only 10% of the remaining forest consisting of the closed-canopy forests preferred by the pygmy slow loris. Due to a combination of unstable political situations in its range, and its nocturnal, arboreal lifestyle, population data for the pygmy slow loris are scarce. The population in China has been estimated at less than 500 individuals. In the 1980s, one estimate placed the population at roughly 72,000 individuals, while another estimate from the same period placed the number around 600–700 individuals. This enormous discrepancy underlines the difficulty to calculate population size without detailed field studies. In Laos, the wildlife status report of 1999 describes the species as "little known" and "common", based on availability of potential habitat. In 2020 the IUCN classified the pygmy slow loris as endangered, The pygmy slow loris is protected in most of its range states: in Cambodia, China, and Vietnam. This makes hunting and capture illegal, and in China and Vietnam, possession and storage are also illegal. Under Vietnamese law it has had the highest level of wildlife protection since 1992, all exploitation and use of the pygmy slow loris is illegal. However, enforcement is poor while minor penalties have little deterring effect. In terms of international protection, the species was elevated to
Appendix I of CITES in 2007. In addition, since October 2001, the European Union prohibits imports for all wild specimens of pygmy slow loris from Laos and Cambodia for conservation reasons. The species has been recorded in at least 6 national parks and 12 nature reserves. In China,
Daweishan,
Fenshuiling, and
Huanglianshan Reserve maintained approximately 80% of that country's population of the species in 2007. However, the species is still vulnerable to hunting, even in protected areas. In Laos, the species has been recorded in seven
National Biodiversity Conservation Areas. In Vietnam, confiscated pygmy lorises are usually taken to the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre in
Cúc Phương National Park, to be reintroduced into the wild. Non-experts may find it difficult to distinguish between the pygmy slow loris and the
Sunda slow loris, as both have similarly reddish fur, which is variable in colors. In international shipments, pygmy lorises may be even mixed up with
pottos or
lemurs.
Trade The pygmy slow loris is traded mainly for its purported
medicinal properties, for the
pet trade, or, to a lesser extent, as food for local consumption. According to a 2003 report, the animals were sold for 30,000–50,000
Vietnamese đồng (US$1.50–2.50 or €1.10–1.80). Other reports have found them to cost US$2–10. In Cambodia, the species is used in Traditional Khmer Medicine. Surveys conducted at Cambodian markets showed that the species was the third most common mammal for sale, offered at prices ranging from US$0.85–6.25 (€0.65–4.70). In Vietnam, the pygmy slow loris is used for food, medicine, and often as a pet and is among the most frequently sold species. Formerly, hundreds of pygmy lorises were traded monthly in major markets, but recently numbers seem to have decreased, due to shortages in supply. In southern Vietnam, lorises are among the most popular wildlife dishes in wildlife meat restaurants. Exporting countries reported a total of 111 pygmy slow lorises traded internationally between 1977 and 2004, whereas importing countries reported 131 animals. In Laos, large numbers of native lorises are exported to Vietnam. In Japan, pet shops occasionally offer pygmy slow lorises for US$2,000–3,800 (€1,500–2,800). There are also parts and derivatives of pygmy lorises in trade, such as the skin and the hair. All parts of the animal are used in traditional Khmer medicine. In Vietnam, medicine such as
bone glue of monkey, is mainly produced by local people, but a smaller portion is also destined for restaurants or sold to visitors. The species is especially used for the assumed medicinal value of its hair. Traders have reported that they have difficulty keeping pace with demand—one trader claimed to have sold nearly 1,200 pygmy slow lorises during 2001–2002. In Cambodia, the deeply rooted tradition of using the Bengal and pygmy slow loris in traditional medicine is widespread, and the pygmy slow loris is the most commonly requested animal in traditional medicine shops in Cambodia's capital,
Phnom Penh. Illegal trade routes are known to exist from Cambodia, to Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, with much of this trade destined for China. Surveys from 1998 and 1999 show that 80 to 90 animals were imported from Vietnam though Hekou Port into Yunnan province, making it the most commonly recorded animal in the surveys. China is the primary destination of most Vietnamese slow lorises, although they are also smuggled to other countries, including Taiwan. In one noted incident, 102 animals were confiscated during transit to
Ho Chi Minh City in August 1993; of these, only four survived. Pygmy lorises may cost up to US$400 on the Taiwanese pet market. In the USA, occasionally, pygmy lorises smuggled from Vietnam have been confiscated. The Endangered Primate Rescue Centre reports that the pygmy slow loris is the most often rescued species, which reflects their abundance in trade. In Europe, illegal purchases have been reported from Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and Moscow. ==In captivity==