Slow lorises are critically threatened by the illegal pet trade driven by viral videos of these nocturnal primates, with collection from the wild and removal of their teeth causing severe welfare harm.
Slow loris welfare harm begins with traumatic tooth extraction by traffickers, who then sell them to owners unaware of their specialized dietary needs and nocturnal lifestyle. The suffering is multi-layered: dental mutilation that prevents normal feeding, chronic stress from daytime handling, and social isolation from their species. Rehabilitation is difficult because tooth-clipped lorises cannot be released - they cannot feed themselves. The welfare prevention is consumer education: the viral videos that drive demand show animals in distress, not enjoying human interaction. Understanding that the loris is suffering from light exposure and handling transforms these videos from cute to disturbing.