Minister for Forests and Khadi R. S. Rajakannappan on Saturday virtually inaugurated the Slender Loris Conservation Centre at Ayyalur in Dindigul district, the first such facility in India dedicated to conserving the threatened nocturnal primate.

As per an official release, the centre has been established to support long-term conservation, research and public awareness on the slender loris, a small arboreal primate found in the dry forests and scrub landscapes of southern India and Sri Lanka. 

The species helps control agricultural pests by feeding on insects and small invertebrates but faces threats from habitat loss, fragmentation and human disturbance.

The Tamil Nadu government earlier notified the Kadavur Slender Loris Sanctuary, spread across 11,806.56 hectares in seven blocks across Dindigul and Karur districts, covering reserve forests such as Thoppaswimalai, Thanneerkaradu, Mudimalai and D. Edayapatti.

The conservation centre has been set up in the Dindigul Forest Division at a cost of ₹16.04 crore. Facilities include a loris interpretation centre, eco-trails, trekking paths, night observation facilities, children’s learning spaces, a primate pavilion, nature walkways and other eco-education infrastructure.

Environment, Climate Change and Forests Secretary Supriya Sahu said the centre would support scientific research, habitat restoration and community awareness to strengthen conservation of the species and its dryland ecosystems.

Among those present were Dindigul District Collector S. Saravanan, PCCF and Head of Forest Force Srinivas R. Reddy, Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra, Special Secretary Anurag Mishra, Dindigul District Forest Officer Sathish Gidijala, along with other officials and researchers.