A rare pygmy slow loris, China's smallest primate and a first-class state-protected species, was rescued from a roadside in southwest China's Yunnan Province on Monday after a passerby spotted the palm-sized creature curled up in the rain. The passerby then took it to a police station in Maguan County, where officers offered it bananas, but the brownish-furred creature, seemingly stressed by the unfamiliar surroundings, did not eat.
After being identified as a pygmy slow loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus), it was transferred to the local forestry and grassland administration for professional care.
Authorities said it would be released back into the wild once it has regained strength and is deemed capable of surviving on its own.
Rare pygmy slow loris rescued from roadside in southwest China's Yunnan
