The sexes of the rare pygmy slow loris twins at @dpamersfoort is known. They’re boys! The brothers, who were born in May, are healthy and are increasingly leaving their mother's side. Now that they are a bit older, the babies have had their first training days. “They receive kennel and scale training. Through these voluntary training courses, we prepare the young for transport and we keep an eye on their health," says animal caretaker Paul Rodewijk.

Animal caretakers Paul and Christel train the slow loris twins daily on a voluntary basis to prepare them for vaccinations, weighing times and transport. “The animals can choose whether or not they want to participate in the training, and we reward them with a delicacy from their diet, such as an insect,” explains Paul. Slow loris are poisonous night monkeys. There are poison glands in their elbows. If they lick it, they can pass the venom through a bite. For animal welfare and to protect the animal caretakers, it is necessary to familiarize the twins with (medical) procedures. They experience no stress and are therefore less likely to bite in selfdefense. After about a year, when the young are sexually mature, they’ll move to another zoo. In the wild they also leave their mother at this age. EAZA, the European cooperation program of zoos, regularly exchanges animals to maintain a healthy population. “In order to steer this in the right direction and to prevent stress, they regularly encounter the kennels. Other reasons to train the twins are the annual vaccinations and multiple weighins. Animal welfare always comes first. When they have seen or experienced the act more than once, they become accustomed to the process. The vaccination, scale or transport kennel is then very common”, explains Paul.

The slow loris twins live with their mother in the trees of “The Night”. Here the day and night rhythm are reversed, because the slow loris are active at night. In the wild, the pygmy slow loris lives mainly in Vietnam and Laos. The animal is on the 'red list' of endangered species. Their reflective eyes make the pygmy slow loris an 'easy' prey for hunters. The night monkeys are often sold to keep as pets and the animals are used in traditional medicine. The population and habitat are also shrinking due to the felling and burning of the forests. “The brothers cannot continue to live in DierenPark Amersfoort, so they are being prepared for departure.” For the time being, visitors can still find the pygmy slow loris twins in the Night in Amersfoort Zoo. “Take a good look in the trees and between the plants to spot the brothers. They are slightly smaller than their mother”, Paul tips.