Slow lorises are illegally traded as pets, driven partly by social media viral videos. Understanding their suffering in trade helps combat this welfare crisis.
Slow loris welfare in the illegal pet trade involves severe harm at every stage. Tooth removal — without anesthesia, using crude tools — causes immediate severe pain and lifelong inability to eat properly. Transport mortality is extremely high. Animals shown in viral videos are experiencing fear, not enjoyment — the raised arms are a defensive response to a venomous bite threat. Buyers, unknowingly perpetuating this suffering through well-intentioned purchases, are the demand driving the trade. Education campaigns using images of loris suffering, rather than appealing viral videos, more effectively reduce purchase intent.