The YouTube Grim Reaper: When wild animals go viral

The slow loris of Indonesia is in serious danger of extinction, their greatest threat being the illegal pet trade.

It’s gorgeous, huge eyes and soft fur make the endangered primate a prized pet and a victim of an online craze spurred on by YouTube videos.

Viral videos of slow lorises being kept as pets encourage the illegal trade of this animal.

A quick search produces over 73,000 results which you can view here.

Launched in 2015, the Tickling is Torture campaign has been targeting specific videos which show slow lorises being tickled.

You can report any videos or images here.

Picture Credit: International Animal Rescue. A street trader pulling a slow loris’ teeth.

According to experts at International Animal Rescue the reason slow lorises raise their arms when tickled is because they are a venemous primate. The venom is secreted from a gland inside their elbow. Lorises raise their arms and mix the venom with saliva before biting their victim.

However, when captured for the pet trade, their teeth are pulled violently. This leaves them defenceless.

Many die from blood loss or infection before they are sold from having their teeth removed in back-street procedures.

Picture Credit: International Animal Rescue. Victims of the pet trade.

Others die during transport in tiny cages.

International Animal Rescue runs the only rescue centre for slow lorises and permanently cares for those that can never be released due to the actions of their human captors.

IAR asks you not to like, not to share, but instead report any instances of slow lorises being kept as pets.

Going viral for these animals has meant a death sentence for many.

Picture Credit: International Animal Rescue. Slow lorises, some dead, some alive, discovered in transport.