Nama

Nama ilmiah: Nycticebus coucang (Boddaert, 1785)
Nama Inggris: Greater Slow Loris
Nama lokal: Bukang, Pukang, Buah angin (Aceh)

Status Konservasi

• Dilindungi berdasarkan keputusan Menteri Pertanian, 14 Februari 1973, No. 66/Kpts/Um/2/1973. Undang-undang No. 5 Tahun 1990.
• Permen LHK Nomor P.106/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/12/2018
• Redlist IUCN, Endangered
• CITES, Apendix I
  
  

Kukang Sumatera terdaftar dalam kategori Terancam (Endangered) dikarenakan hilangnya habitat yang terus terjadi hingga kini, ditambah dengan tekanan buruk dari perburuan dan perdagangan satwa peliharaan. Kukang Sumatera berada dalam ancaman berat dari hibridisasi dan spesies kukang invasif yang diintroduksi ke habitat alaminya. Populasi di Sumatera, Jawa, Singapura, dan Thailand sangat berdampak akibat pelepasan spesies kukang lainnya, dalam jangka menengah dan panjang dampaknya diperkirakan sangat merugikan spesies tersebut. Meskipun Kukang Sumatera dapat bertahan hidup di perkebunan dan pekarangan rumah, hilangnya habitat primer yang semakin meningkat di seluruh wilayah diduga berdampak besar pada spesies ini, yang diperkirakan telah menurun lebih dari 50% populasinya selama tiga generasi (sekitar 24 tahun). Ditambah dengan ancaman terhadap habitat dan populasi dari hibridisasi, serta perburuan secara terus menerus, hal ini diperkirakan akan dapat menurunkan populasinya dengan kecepatan yang sama dalam 20 tahun ke depan.

Catatan Taksonomi

Taksa ini pada awalnya meliputi beberapa jenis subspesies, yang pada akhirnya teridentifikasi sebagai spesies tersendiri. Sejumlah kecil zona percampuran (hibridisasi) ditemukan antara spesies ini dan Nycticebus bengalensis yang ada di selatan semenanjung Thailand. Kajian taksonomi lebih lanjut mungkin diperlukan untuk merevisinya (Lim et al. 2007, K. A. Nekaris unpubl. data). Beberapa penulis menyatakan bahwa bentuk morfologi dari jenis yang ada di pulau Natuna sangatlah unik untuk disebut subspesies N. c. natunae (Chasen 1935, Indrawan and Rangkuti 2001). Beberapa lainnya menyatakan bahwa bentuk morfologi yang ada di Sumatera bagian Utara merupakan taksa terpisah yaitu N. hilleri, yang kemudian ditindaklanjuti dan mengecualikan Sumatera bagian Utara sebagai spesies tersendiri.

Nekaris dan Jaffe (2007) mengukur 16 N. coucang yang berasal dari Sumatera dan melaporkan parameter morfometri rata-rata berikut untuk individu-individu ini, yang bervariasi dari N. hilleri: berat: 594 g; panjang kepala 62 mm; panjang moncong 23,3 mm; napas kepala 45 mm; panjang tubuh kepala 268 mm; rentang tangan 54 mm; rentang kaki 67 mm; panjang telinga 17 mm (Nekaris dan Jaffe 2007).

Ciri Identifikasi

Rambut yang tumbuh sangat lebat dan halus. Warna rambut sangat bervariasi, mulai dari kelabu keputihan, kecokelatan hingga kehitam-hitaman. Pada punggung terdapat garis cokelat melintang dari bagian belakang tubuh hingga dahi. Garis cokelat tersebut, bercabang ke dasar telinga dan mata. Pada bagian mata, rambut cokelat ini berbentuk bundar atau oval hingga menyerupai kacamata. Panjang tubuh termasuk kepala sekitar 190-275 mm untuk betina dewasa dan jantan sekitar 300-380 mm. Ekornya pendek dan melingkar panjangnya antara 10-25 mm. Berat tubuh jantan dan betina dewasa antara 375-900 gram.

Sebaran

Kukang sumatera tersebar cukup luas di Sumatera, Batam dan Galang di Kepulauan Riau, dan Pulau Tebingtinggi dan Bunguran di Pulau Natuna Utara. Kukang sumatera juga tersebar di semenanjung Malaya dan Pulau Tioman, semenanjung selatan Thailand (dari tanah genting Kra Selatan) dan Singapura.

This species occurs in Indonesia (southern Sumatra south of the Batang Toru River, Batam and Galang in the Riau Archipelago, and Pulau Tebingtinggi and Bunguran in the North Natuna Islands), Malaysia (on the Peninsula and the island of Pulau Tioman), southern peninsular Thailand (suggested from the Isthmus of Kra southward, but forms as far as Tai Rom Yen National Park accord to N. bengalensis), and Singapore (Groves 2001; KAI. Nekaris pers. comm; M. Shekelle pers. comm.)

The species is found in the southern region of Sumatra south of the Batang Toru river. During a camera-trapping season from Oct 2010 to Oct 2012 one Nycticebus coucang was recorded in the Bukit Batu Area of Giam Siak Kecil-Bukit Batu Biosphere Reserve, Riau, Indonesia (Fujita et al. 2012). A population has been recorded in the forest around Batutegi Dam (Collins and Nekaris 2008). The species has also been recorded either from museum specimens or casual reports from researchers or local people in Bukit Barisan Seletan National Park, Kerinci Sebelat National Park, Berbak National Park, Way Kambas National Park, and Bukit Tigapuluh National Park (Thorn et al. 2010).

Reported encounter rates vary throughout Peninsular Malaysia. Several short-term studies indicated that it usually occurs at low densities: Pasoh Forestry Research Centre, Peninsular Malaysia (0.01-0.02 animals/km); Petalang Jaya, Malaysia (0.40 animals/km); Genting Sempah, Malaysia (3 captures after 30,000 trap nights) (Barret 1981; Rudd and Stevens 1992; Nekaris et al. 2008). It was described as uncommon in Panang Island, where one was shot after 11 nights (Liat et al. 1971). At sites where long-term studies occurred greater slow lorises occur at relatively higher densities (Sungai Tekam Forestry Concession, Malaysia, 0.3-0.8 animals/km in logged primary forest, 0.5-1.2 animals/km in unlogged primary forest; Manjung District, Perak, Malaysia, 1.6-4.0 animals/km in unlogged primary forest and 0.4-1.0 animals/km in logged swamp forest and secondary savanna).  Wiens (2002) conducted a study on a population in parts of Segari Melintang, Tanjung Hantu, and Batu Undan Forest Reserve, West Malaysia. The species has also been photographed or videoed in Hutan Lipur Rekreasi Tupah, Taman Negara National Park, Fraser’s Hill.

In Singapore the distribution of N. coucang is unknown due to the presence of translocated individuals of unknown origins and low sighting frequency (Lim et al. 2008). During a population survey in 2013 by Fam et al.(2014) including seven areas (Nee Soon Swamp Forest, Thomson Ridge, Rifle Range area, Kampong Trail, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Bukit Batok Nature Park, and the forest near Mera -lodge Condominium), individuals were only observed in Nee Soon Swamp Forest (0.12 animals/km). The encounter rate lowered to 0.017 animals/km when all seven sites were combined. The greater slow loris is also known to exist on a military training island called Pulau Tekong (0.5-0.7 animals/km^-1) (Lim et al. 2008), it is considered one of Singapore’s most protected forested areas. Their distribution in Thailand is still in need of further examination. there is a proposed hybrid zone between N. bengalensis and N. coucang in the southern peninsular of Thailand. It is not definitive which species occurs on the island of Phuket (Pliosungnoen et al. 2010), but it is generally believed that the wild slow lorises on this island are N. coucang (Meijaard 2003).

Habitat & Ekologi

Hutan primer dan sekunder dataran rendah, hutan bambu, hutan bakau. Kadang kadang mereka juga ditemukan di daerah perkebunan, terutama perkebunan cokelat. Kukang lebih sering ditemukan di tepi habitat hutan, hal ini kemungkinan karena pada daerah tepi memiliki dukungan kelimpahan sumber pakan.

This arboreal, nocturnal, and lunar phobic species generally occurs in primary and secondary lowland forest, gardens, plantations, as well as primary and secondary rainforest (Timm and Birney 1992). In Sumatra N. coucang prefers secondary tree fall areas in primary rainforest, disturbed areas, and home gardens (Collins et al. 2008). Wild sightings of N. coucang are rare in southern Thailand (Osterberg and Nekaris 2015). In peninsular Malaysia N. coucang is largely found in tropical rain forest, dipterocarp forests, isolated forest patches adjacent to plantations, swamp forest, unlogged and selectively logged primary forest (Nekaris 2014; Barrett 1984; Wiens et al. 2006). Habitat of N. coucang in Singapore is largely made up of dipterocarp primary forest, and a combination of parks, scrubland, and various stages growing secondary forest (Fam et al. 2014). 

Home ranges of N. coucang in Malaysia varied from some 2 ha to 15 ha, depending on the forest type, with smaller home ranges in more primary forest. Males and females overlap in a uni-male, uni-female social system (Wiens and Zitzmann 2003). In Malaysia, social contact was rare. In captivity, however, the species can be housed socially and makes a wide array of contact calls, including a mother infant call unique to this species (Nekaris, unpublished). Exudates make up as much as 43 percent of this species’ diet; they consume animal prey, fruits, leaves, and bird eggs to make up remainder (Streicher et al. 2012; Weins et al. 2006). N. coucang are venomous, as are other members of the Nycticebus genus (Nekaris et al. 2013).

Pakan

Hampir separuh jenis makanannya adalah buah-buahan berserat. Selain itu, kukang juga makan serangga, dan binatang kecil lainnya, seperti moluska dan melata seperti kadal. Kadang-kadang memakan telur burung, dan biji-bijian dari suku leguminosae (biji polong), termasuk buah atau biji cokelat.
Kukang juga memakan nektar bunga, getah pohon dan hewan arthropoda dalam porsi kecil.

Sosial & Perilaku

Kehidupan sosial kukang sangat sedikit sekali diketahui. Kukang sering ditemukan hidup menyendiri (soliter) di alam, atau terkadang terlihat berpasangan terutama pada saat musim kawin.

Pergerakan kukang sangat lambat, bergerak dengan menggunakan keempat anggota tubuhnya (quodropedal). Kadang-kadang mereka menggantung saat akan pindah ke dahan di depannya. Pada saat bergerak malam hari, Kukang jantan memberikan atau menandai dengan air kencingnya pada pohon yang dilalui untuk daerah teritorialnya.

Kukang sering mengeluarkan suara desisan (mendesis) bila merasa terganggu, baik pada jantan maupun betina. Suara desisan pada kukang yang masih bayi sedikit perlahan, terdengar saat akan menyusui. Suara panggilan juga kadang-kadang keluar saat terjadi sesuatu. Pada saat estrous tiba, betina mengeluarkan lengkingan yang cukup keras. Bayi kukang sering mendesis perlahan seperti akan menyusui dan sebagainya.

Mereka aktif pada malam hari (nokturnal) dan hidup di pohon (arboreal). Pada siang hari tidur di percabangan pohon, atau kadang-kadang di rumpun bambu, dan tidak membuat sarang.

Ancaman

Perburuan dan perdagangan kukang sebagai peliharaan marak terjadi pada kukang sumatera. Berdasarkan kasus penegakan hukum pada tahun 2013, sebanyak 238 individu kukang diselundupkan melalui pelabuhan Merak, Banten untuk dibawa ke kota besar seperti Jakarta.

Meski upaya penegakan hukum sudah banyak dilaksanakan, namun penyelundupan kukang sumatera masih terus terjadi hingga kini. Hal ini bisa dilihat dari laporan pengembalian melalui Kukangku yang masih menemukan serahan kukang sumatera eks peliharaan.

This species is collected for use as pets, and the animals are sold throughout Southeast Asia (Nekaris and Bearder 2011; Nekaris and Nijman 2007). The teeth are often pulled, resulting in infection and/or death. If animals survive, lack of teeth makes reintroduction impossible. Well-meaning rescue centres haphazardly reintroduce lorises into local forests without knowledge of their taxonomy or social needs (Nekaris and Starr, 2015). Sumatran populations are particularly impacted by the pet trade. The species is relatively adaptable to anthropogenic habitats, and so it might less affected by forest loss than some other primate species. Nevertheless, forest loss has been so severe in the region that it is likely to have had some negative impacts. Animals are shot as crop pests and for other reasons (Bennett et al. 1994). Lack of law enforcement further threatens slow loris species across their range (Nijman et al. 2014).

Release of invasive species is a major problem for this species. In Sumatra, slow lorises rescued from the pet trade comprising both the southern N. coucang and the northern N. hilleri have been introduced in large numbers in the South of the island. Releases (and escapes of captives) on to the island of Java is also problematic. In Singapore, some argue that only released animals persist (see below). In Thailand, what seems to be the natal range of N. coucang, the island of Phuket, is subject to rampant releases of N. bengalensis. Individuals perceive that such releases are merciful to the captive individuals, but the long-term threat of invasive species is known from many other mammalian taxa and could prove to be a great threat to slow lorises.

In Singapore inconsistent documentation of imports and exports of either N. bengalensis, N. pygmaeus or N. coucang between Laos, Japan and Singapore has contributed to the confusion surrounding which species are currently present in the wild (Fam et al. 2014). Listed as Critically Endangered in the Singapore Red Data Book, it is estimated that there are fewer than 50 mature individuals, OR if more than 50 mature individuals but less than 250, there is evidence of decline or fragmentation’ (Davison 2008). 

Though not as abundant as N. bengalensis in the Thai phot prop trade, Osterberg and Nekaris (2015) found two instances of N. coucang being used as photo props on Patong Beach. N. coucang populate rescue centres throughout their range but especially in Indonesia and Thailand; efforts to reintroduce suitable individuals are often hindered by a lack of knowledge regarding current population densities, the boundaries of the hybrid zones, and not prioritising post release monitoring (Nekaris and Starr 2015; Collins et al. 2008). Release of the wrong species into the range of N. coucang is common. The species is also subject to international trade, and appears regularly as a pet on videos on social networking sites (Nekaris et al., 2013). Poor husbandry amounting to cruel animal welfare treatment of these captive individuals also impacts their conservation through public perception that such care of these wild animals is appropriate (Nekaris et al. 2015).

Tren Populasi

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