Rihanna pictured with a loris on Phuket's Bangla Road?

[IrishIvan]

The fact that the owners rip their teeth out doesnt meen their owners love them. Its business, pure and simple. Same as elephants in bangkok

[Goshawk]

I believe someone taking care of an animal, the animal is going to be much better off than in the wild.

omg... lol... lulz... <deleted>... lmao... (i'm running out of hip? internet abbreviations here... help!)

ericthai, you seriously don't believe that.. do you?

[hanno]

I believe someone taking care of an animal, the animal is going to be much better off than in the wild.

omg... lol... lulz... <deleted>... lmao... (i'm running out of hip? internet abbreviations here... help!)

ericthai, you seriously don't believe that.. do you?

I hope not, but it would appear so:

I believe someone taking care of an animal, the animal is going to be much better off than in the wild.

[Neurath]

This is disgraceful behaviour on Rhihana's part - had she not posted that picture there wouldn't have been a problem and Thailand's image wouldn't have been damaged. She should be banned from visiting the Kingdom.

[Neurath]

I think that the elephants have been cleared from Bangkok streets at last so maybe (and its a big maybe!) the authorities can do the same with these poor endangered animals like the loris and lizards etc in the rest of Thailand. The first time I went to Bangla I saw these animals on the street and was so revolted I left and will never go back. In discussions with some tourists they have the same reaction and will not go back to Phuket or elsewhere in Thailand again. But this is only a small number of tourists - it would need big numbers to have an impact on the Thai economy. However that eventually is the answer. Make the financial penalty (or the threat of it) so severe that the small money that changes hands to pay off the authorities will mean nothing. No tourists - no money for anyone.

I dont understand your position. What is the problem with a tout having this animal if he is taking good care of it. If it's making him money I'm sure he is going to take good care of it. If he does not have it then where would it be? in a zoo? or maybe in the wild where it needs to fend for itself and have predators to hide from. With a Tout he/she is being taken care of fed and sheltered and does not really have to work for their survival.

Let's take the example of the elephants. Why were they in Bangkok and other towns around Thailand? Because the logging industry has been shut down and the small amount of logging is not using elephants. So now how do the guys that own these elephants make money to take of themselves and their elephant. I agree roaming the streets trying to make a dollar is not a great option but what options do they have. Luckily they can go to other towns. If everything is stopped then what, set the elephants lose in the wild when they dont know how to take care of themselves? Tell me what the difference is between having a dog or cat as a pet compared to having an elephant or loris as a pet. The owner is taking care of them so what is the problem.

I think allot of people come to Thailand to be able to actually see things like this. An elephant on the street I always found it to be part of the charm of Bangkok. What is happening with the wild population of the elephants, they often end up in farms destroying crops getting farmers angry so farmers erect electrical fences. Every once in awhile you will see the story of an elephant dying from being electrocuted.

Right, lets wipe out all animals whilst we are at it, poor things have to fend after themselves in a dirty, dangerous forest after all:facepalm: alt=facepalm.gif width=24 height=18>

Did you read what I wrote? Where did I say wipe them out?

I said that I dont see a real issue with a tout having a loir or elephant or whatever if he is taking care of them which if he is making money from one he will take care of it. I believe someone taking care of an animal, the animal is going to be much better off than in the wild. Look at the stay dogs all over Thailand and then the ones people have for pets, which one is better off.

Come to think of it, you make a very good point.

[mikebike]

OMG... Eric Thai, do you not understand the difference between domestic animals and endangered wild animals?

Sent from my ME172V using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[NomadJoe]

I believe someone taking care of an animal, the animal is going to be much better off than in the wild.

omg... lol... lulz... <deleted>... lmao... (i'm running out of hip? internet abbreviations here... help!)

ericthai, you seriously don't believe that.. do you?

No, he can't possibly believe what he wrote. That, my friends, is an eloquently crafted troll post.

[jpeg]

This is the first of many planned for the area, officials said.

And the last when everyone's forgotten about it tomorrow.

Except for PW who, it's reported in the BP, is attempting to gather funds for a Slow Loris shelter/rehabilitation center, much like the gibbon project. Good someone's actually doing something other than the usual bullshit from the authorities and those sniggering at them on internet forums.

[NomadJoe]

I believe someone taking care of an animal, the animal is going to be much better off than in the wild.

omg... lol... lulz... <deleted>... lmao... (i'm running out of hip? internet abbreviations here... help!)

ericthai, you seriously don't believe that.. do you?

No, he can't possibly believe what he wrote. That, my friends, is an eloquently crafted troll post.

^ But..there are a lot of ignorant people out there, so just for the record:

When Gibbons and Loris's are captured, the mother is typically killed in order to more easily capture the babies.

Before entering the wildlife trade, their teeth are often removed, presumably with no anesthesia, so they cannot injure with their poisonous bites. Some die of infection because of this. This also makes reintroduction into the wild impossible.

Lorises have poison sacs on their elbows which are also removed. These are for self defense. This also complicates reintroduction into the wild.

All Loris species are listed as either threatened or endangered on the CITES index.

Lorises do not usually last long in captivity. During the course of illegal smuggling, most lorises die due to environmental stress (wire cage, bright light, loneliness), and horrific malnutrition.

The animals are often drugged in order to be more manageable for the touts.

I am aware of two instances in the last year in which children were hospitalized after being bitten by a loris on Bangla Rd. One was reported in the media, the other was not.

http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1393036/Killer-cuteness-The-slow-painful-death-slow-lorises-latest-pets.html

Plus i have worked with the Gibbon/Loris Project on Phuket.

Edited September 22, 2013 by NomadJoe

[JetsetBkk]

Two loris touts arrested in Phuket raid ordered by Gov

<snip>

"It is very difficult to do the raids because the touts have spies. If someone hears that the police are coming their way, there will be a person who calls the touts and tells them to move."

<snip>

And they've never thought of leaving the pickup with the flashing lights at the station?

And maybe not wear their uniform, gun, etc?

[JoeThePoster]

Rihanna pictured with a loris on Phuket's Bangla Road

She couldn't get her pic taken with the most endangered species native to Phuket - the sane and sober expat, so she had to settle for second best.

[NomadJoe]

Two loris touts arrested in Phuket raid ordered by Gov

<snip>

"It is very difficult to do the raids because the touts have spies. If someone hears that the police are coming their way, there will be a person who calls the touts and tells them to move."

<snip>

And they've never thought of leaving the pickup with the flashing lights at the station?

And maybe not wear their uniform, gun, etc?

He's right about it being difficult, he just didn't elaborate that the "spies" wear brown. The guy running the touts, the soi boss at soi crocodile, (aka soi LadyBoy) gets a phone call before the raids These two arrests were likely staged.

[bluegum]

Thanks to NomadJoe for the plain facts about slow loris that fall into the wrong hands. If the Bangla lorises could talk, their tales would indeed be horror stories. Unfortunately the atrocity of slaying mothers in order to snatch the young for commercial use is widespread in many wildlife habitats. NP officials in Nakhon Sawan recently found a langur slaying ground, whole troop shot dead and valuable organs removed while they lay on the forest floor - the parts and surviving infants will likely be on their way to China as you read these words.

[JetsetBkk]

<snip>

he just didn't elaborate that the "spies" wear brown

<snip>

Ah! Of course. Silly me, I was thinking with my Western brain again.

[ericthai]

OMG... Eric Thai, do you not understand the difference between domestic animals and endangered wild animals?

Sent from my ME172V using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Yes I do, do you? Dogs where wild and we domesticated them to serve as pets, sames for horses, cats, birds and the list goes one.

So should we have not done that? Nobody should have a dog or cat or any pet?

When I say a person having an animal I'm not talking about someone have an endangered species. I'm talking about if that is a dog,cat, monkey, squirrel, bird etc. As long as a person is taking care of it I think it's better off with the person than in the wild. I know my dog loves staying in the house in the AC wont go out in the middle of day. So would he be better off if we did not domesticate them and left him in the wild? Would he have a better life? That is the point I was trying to make.

Guys let me state this, I don't agree with someone having an endangered species. I was addressing the guys comment about the elephants, but I did slide off into speaking about the Loris. Which I spoke and put my foot in my mouth. I did not realize or know anything about a Loris until I read more.

The point I was making if a person has an animal and is taking good care of it I don't see problem with that. Like I said some of the charm about Bangkok is seeing an elephant on the side of the road. The guy was saying he was happy all the elephants are gone from Bangkok, but I was saying I dont see an issue with this. What are we going to do with all those elephants that used to work in logging and now doing tourist things. Put them back in the wild? They wont survive.

No this was not a troll.

[Goshawk]

Like I said some of the charm about Bangkok is seeing an elephant on the side of the road.

..this guy just goes from one immense blunder, to the next...

[deesquared]

I've just realised that I am no longer of this world. I know what a loris is but who is this Rihanna person? Is she a reincarnation of Vera Lynn or Alma Cogan?

Given all the BS that surrounds these so called 'celebrities' and 'super stars' I wonder if her real name is Madge Higginbottom or something similar. I also wonder is anybody will remember her in a couple of years time.

Hardly a Madge, she's from the Barbados. Regaring the two other names, they are the real unknow and/or forgotten.

I guess you are out of the loop. She's one of the biggest stars in the world right now. And with her millions and millions of records sold, and sold out concert tours, she has definitely assured that her name will not soon be forgotten in the the music history books.

[deesquared]

The Loris's are endangered....yes....But i'v seen it many times you are walking down the road and some creature is thrust upon you before you have a chance to realise what is happening, then they shout some enormous price at you. . I don't necessarily think she is guilty of something. It's these money grabbing senseless idiots that need to be stopped.

The photo is from her instagram stream..

Remind me of Mariah Carey

Nope. It's a fake quote. http://www.snopes.com/quotes/carey.asp

[Guest]

The Loris's are endangered....yes....But i'v seen it many times you are walking down the road and some creature is thrust upon you before you have a chance to realise what is happening, then they shout some enormous price at you. . I don't necessarily think she is guilty of something. It's these money grabbing senseless idiots that need to be stopped.

The photo is from her instagram stream..

Remind me of Mariah Carey

Nope. It's a fake quote. http://www.snopes.com/quotes/carey.asp

Oh. I stand corrected. Thanks for the link.

[grumpyoldman]

Thousands of tourists get their photo's done with these endangered animals on Bangla every year, so we put the burden on them for doing so?

My guess is 80% including Rhianna don't know the endangered species side of the story, they're just out having fun, seems harmless.

No, the guilty are the vendors and those in a position to do something and do not.

[SICHONSTEVE]

"The slow loris in Phuket has been a long-running issue on Bangla Road, with touts illegally using the endangered animal to solicit money from tourists. While several arrests were made in June, many touts continue to operate, with police saying it is hard to find them because they hide when police show up."

I just can't read any further...

Have they never thought of turning up as plain clothed police officers?

Oh I temporarily forgot that 'this is Thailand'.

Maybe, just maybe they are in cahoots with these despicable people and it is not in their interests for this obscene practice to be stopped!!

[cloudhopper]

Phuket getting some well-deserved publicity -

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/23/travel/opinion-rihanna-on-phuket/index.html

[Blindside]

Rihanna Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..............

Just waiting for her picture with a drugged up tiger. Although in her world that might not mean what it does in Phuket!

[JulesMad]

Some relatively unknown American bimbo shows up in Phuket, makes a couple of pics with some (endangered) animals, and suddenly there is a lot of publicity and commotion.

Phuket is one of the most hypocrite places in the world; if you just take a walk on Bangla Rd, you see the touts with animals indeed disappear for about 5 minutes when there is a police patrol coming by. About 10 seconds after the police passed their 'spot', they appear again...

It would be so easy to catch these guys, a 10 year old with a badge can do the job. However police do not want to catch these guys, you all know why.... money, money, money and nothing else.

Phuket talks all the time about airport, tuk-tuk's, jet-ski's and so on and so on. ONLY when someone (semi)famous (with media attention!) says something bad about Phuket, they do a little something and after that, back to business as normal...

Phuket, the *rse of Thailand

[Old Croc]

The BARBADIAN singer continues to impress:

http://www.watoday.com.au/entertainment/music/rihanna-makes-a-shocking-spectacle-of-her-diamonds-world-tour-australian-debut-20130925-2ucvy.html