You have probably come across some of the videos that have been achieving great success on social media recently. They show small, funny animals with large, tender eyes and human-like hands. These are slow lorises, small nocturnal primates belonging to the genus Nycticebus, native to South-east Asia.

These animals inspire an immediate feeling of tenderness, which is precisely why demand for slow lorises as pets is constantly growing, despite their being protected by the Cites Convention, which regulates international trade in protected species. All existing slow lorises are classified as vulnerable or threatened on the Iucn Red List.

Snatching a wild animal from its habitat and confining it in a home is torture, among the worst kinds, but that is not all. These gentle little creatures conceal a "secret": they are the only venomous primate in existence. The slow loris's venom can cause death in small mammals and anaphylactic shock and death in humans.

To render them harmless once captured, lorises have their teeth torn out, using makeshift tools and without anaesthesia, which frequently causes the animal's death from infection. All the lorises that feed the black market in exotic pets have been taken directly from the wild, as it is almost impossible to breed them in captivity.

To obtain a cub, poachers must kill the mother and sometimes the entire family group that tries to protect the young one. Purchasing a single animal can therefore cause the death of numerous individuals. Moreover, life in captivity considerably reduces the lifespan of slow lorises, above all because of this animal's specific dietary needs, which are difficult to meet.

One video that has in particular taken the internet by storm shows a woman tickling the animal, which, holding its front paws raised, might give the impression of enjoying itself. Nothing could be further from the truth: the animal raises its paws to defend itself from what it perceives as an attack. The venomous toxin is in fact produced by a special gland on the arm, which is activated when mixed with saliva. By making this gesture, the animal is attempting to reach the glands in order to poison its "owner" — this should give a sense of the suffering these animals endure in captivity.

It is precisely videos spread through social networks and YouTube that play a decisive role in fuelling the illegal market in wild animals, which is decimating thousands of species around the world, including slow lorises.

It is therefore possible to do something, in our own small way, to try to combat these cruelties. Avoid sharing videos that show these animals in captivity (unless the aim is to raise awareness) and report them to administrators so that they can be removed. To see a slow loris smile, you do not need to tickle it — you need to leave it in the jungle.