Reader Mr. Saman wrote about sighting a Slender Loris on the Horton Plains. I too wish to report a sighting of the same species – in 1976, at Nochimoddai, Omanthi.
Nochimoddai is a village about four kilometres from Vavuniya, on the A9 highway. My father owned a few acres of paddy land, and was a frequent visitor to this village. I accompanied him on one of these visits. He was a good marksman and the villagers joined him on many a hunting trip.
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| File photo of the Loris that was spotted at Horton Plains recently |
There were four of us on one particular trip. We were proceeding to a tank named Paranatakal, two miles further inland. Jayarathna and Punchiappu, our guide and tracker, stopped for a chew of betel.
My father finished his cigar and told me to change the flashlight batteries, as we were approaching thick forest. I did so, and turned the flashlight on the trees nearby. Suddenly, I spotted a pair of sharp piercing eyes.
I nudged Jayarathna and pointed to a tree. He went up for a closer look, and reported to me, “Mahaththaya, meya thamai Unahapuluwa” (“Sir, this is what is known as the Unahapuluwa”).
The creature was about 18 centimetres long, greyish in colour. My father and Punchiappu were not very excited to see the animal. Villagers say that if you encounter a Slender Loris, your journey will be filled with difficulties, and you may even get lost in the jungle.
So we left our friend in the tree, all alone, in the still of the night, to continue with his nocturnal activities.
My father is no more, Punchiappu is no more, and Jayarathna is in Kuliyapitiya,
N. Mahendran,
Colombo 13. |
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