Venomous Primate Feared Extinct for Nearly a Century Is Still Alive in Indonesia
A new study says the Bangka slow loris survives on Bangka Island, with rescue records pointing to a wider range than thought.
A small, big-eyed primate that scientists feared had vanished is still here. A study published in October 2026 in the journal *Spixiana* concludes that the Bangka slow loris (*Nycticebus bancanus*) still exists on Indonesia's Bangka Island, reports Smithsonian Magazine.
Overlooked, not lost
The species was last officially documented in the 1930s. In 2015 the IUCN Red List classed it as critically endangered and possibly extinct. Yet the animals were turning up, quietly, at a local rescue centre.
The Alobi Wildlife Rescue Center on Bangka rescued more than 90 slow lorises between 2015 and 2025 and released 86 of them. Many had strayed into gardens, plantations or roads. Since 2021 it has rescued 43 individuals from across the island, which suggests a wider distribution than previously believed.
Co-author Timon Glaw said the animal had been "overlooked by science for nearly a century."
Conservation group Re:wild, which works with the centre, praised its work "quietly rescuing, healing and releasing" the animals.
What's next
The authors recommend that the IUCN reassess the species so the "possibly extinct" label can be removed. They also call for:
- Stronger habitat protection
- A conservation breeding programme
- Population and genetic surveys
- Monitoring of released animals
Honest context
Survival is not safety. Forest cover on Bangka fell by 62 percent between 2000 and 2012, mainly from illegal tin mining and clearing for palm oil, and settlements, roads and power lines add further risks. The species remains threatened, and nobody yet knows how many are left.
For now, the finding is a reminder that careful local knowledge can rediscover what science had written off.
