BackgroundThe internet is gaining importance in global wildlife trade and changing perceptions of threatened species. There is little data available to examine the impact that popular Web 2.0 sites play on public perceptions of threatened species. YouTube videos portraying wildlife allow us to quantify these perceptions.Methodology/Principal FindingsFocussing on a group of threatened and globally protected primates, slow lorises, we quantify public attitudes towards wildlife conservation by analysing 12,411 comments and associated data posted on a viral YouTube video ‘tickling slow loris’ over a 33-months period. In the initial months a quarter of commentators indicated wanting a loris as a pet, but as facts about their conservation and ecology became more prevalent this dropped significantly. Endorsements, where people were directed to the site by celebrities, resulted mostly in numerous neutral responses with few links to conservation or awareness. Two conservation-related events, linked to Wikipedia and the airing of a television documentary, led to an increase in awareness, and ultimately to the removal of the analysed video.Conclusions/SignificanceSlow loris videos that have gone viral have introduced these primates to a large cross-section of society that would not normally come into contact with them. Analyses of webometric data posted on the internet allow us quickly to gauge societal sentiments. We showed a clear temporal change in some views expressed but without an apparent increase in knowledge about the conservation plight of the species, or the illegal nature of slow loris trade. Celebrity endorsement of videos showing protected wildlife increases visits to such sites, but does not educate about conservation issues. The strong desire of commentators to express their want for one as a pet demonstrates the need for Web 2.0 sites to provide a mechanism via which illegal animal material can be identified and policed.

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Aotus miconax is endemic to Peru and remains one of the least studied of all Neotropical primate taxa. It has an altitudinally restricted distribution and is limited to areas of premontane and montane cloud forest in the countries north. Deforestation in the area is the highest in the country. In many areas deforestation has fragmented remnant populations of A. miconax to isolated forest fragments with high hunting pressure. Our aim was to gather information on the current distribution of A. miconax and other Aotus species in northeastern Peru. Through field surveys we found evidence of the presence of Aotus spp. at 44 localities in the departments of Amazonas, Huánuco, La Libertad and San Martin, including 23 visual observations and four aural detections and from secondary evidence at a further 17 sites. Aotus miconax was found at sites between 1200-3100 m. Combining GIS and maximum entropy ecological niche modelling we predicted the probable original distribution of A. miconax. We also evaluated the current area of occupancy, level of fragmentation and anthropogenic threats faced by this species. The current area of occupancy of A. miconax is much reduced and anthropogenic threats to this species are severe and increasing. The current IUCN Red List status (VU) underestimates actual habitat loss and disturbance. Sympatric species which suffer from similar levels of hunting and habitat loss are considered 'Critically Endangered' (IUCN 2011) and based on our estimate of ~60% habitat loss, with much of the remaining habitat highly fragmented; we would like to suggest that A. miconax be classified as Endangered.

The internet is now one of the most popular and easily available sources of public health information, especially for teens and young adults. YouTube™ has over 2 billion views per day and 24 hours of video uploaded per minute. It should therefore be regarded as an important source of health information with the advantages of low-cost, rapid transmission through a wide community and user interaction. however, as with many internet sites, the content on YouTube™ is not peer reviewed and there is a lack of source citation. There is therefore a risk of disseminating misleading information as registered users can post any content they choose.

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