Kannur: A baby of gray slender loris, a reclusive wild animal that rarely ventures out of the forest, has been found at Mangattidam in Kannur district of Kerala. The discovery was made by Shamseer, a member of the environmental-wildlife protection organisation MARC (Malabar Awareness and Rescue Centre), on Saturday evening.

The baby loris was soon shifted to the District Veterinary Hospital by a group of environmentalists comprising MARC vice-president Riaz Mangad, Bijilesh Kodiyeri, Jishnu Panangavu, Sandeep, Namitha Pavithran, Priyesh and Muhammed.

At the hospital, the young loris was examined by a medical team led by veterinary surgeon Dr Nawas. The animal will be released to the wild by the Forest Department after it regains health, said the hospital authorities.

A nocturnal animal, the gray slender loris (scientific name: Loris lydekkerianus) searches for prey at night and hides among trees during the day hours. An endangered species, loris has a striking appearance with large eyes, slender limbs, a white face and the absence of a tail. On maturity, adults could attain a length of two feet and weigh four kg. It is among the few animals that spend most of their lives on trees.