Grey Slender Loris (Loris lydekkerianus), an endemic nocturnal primate, inhabiting Southern India and Sri Lanka also, shares its habitat with the citizens of Bengaluru. Urban environments are complex systems, where human interaction with wildlife is common. Hence, it's imperative to understand people's perspective towards urban biodiversity. This project probed citizen's perspective towards Slender Loris in the mega city of Bengaluru,using the tool of Oral History. Interviews with the citizens were conducted based on an open-ended questionnaire, with focus on knowledge about the primate, period of loris sighting in the city as well as cultural association with the animal, if any.
Results/Conclusions
Out of the 185 interviews conducted over a period of 6 weeks, it was found that about 59% of the respondents had knowledge about slender loris. Out of this group 42% of the respondents has specific cultural associations with the primate. The cultural associations were broadly positive and negative beliefs towards the animal. Some people considered loris as a symbol of protection, while others linked it with death and illness. A third group had no cultural association and viewed the loris with a sense of nostalgia.The loris acts a flagship species for urban biodiversity and wildlife. This study facilitates the understanding of human interaction with the Loris, which could further help in creating inclusive approach towards conservation of urban biodiversity in general and loris in particular in Bengaluru.