Cash-strapped The agricultural minister claims that Sri Lanka is considering sending 100,000 endangered monkeys to China, one of its greatest trading partners. Srilanka Announced to Sell 1 Lac Monkeys to china
Although widespread and unique to Sri Lanka, the toque macaque is endanger on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The proposed sale will occur as Sri Lanka is going through its greatest economic crisis ever and has essentially banned all exports of live animals. Financial details weren’t made public.
Srilanka Announced to Sell 1 Lac Monkeys to china
According to AFP, “they want the monkeys for over 1,000 zoos they operate across China,” said Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. I’ve established a committee to investigate the situation and decide how to proceed. In Sri Lanka, monkeys are view as pests because they ruin crops, raid settlements for food, and even attack people.
This year, Sri Lanka delisted several animals, allowing farmers to slaughter wild boars, peacocks, and all three of its species of monkeys.
The Environmental Foundation, a Sri Lankan organization devoted to animal welfare. Protested the proposed sale and recommended that a complete population study happen. First because there hasn’t been a thorough survey of macaques in more than 40 years.
“We want to know why they want so many monkeys—whether it is for meat, medical research, or any other purpose,” the foundation’s Jagath Gunawardana told reporters in Colombo. Monkeys are not a protected species in Sri Lanka, despite being on the red list of endangered species across the globe, according to Gunawardana. The IUCN did not provide a statement right away.
According to official estimates, there are between two million and three million toque macaques in Sri Lanka.
Gunawardana attributed a portion of the rise in human-animal conflict. Notably those involving monkeys and elephants, to the shrinking wild animal habitats brought on by agricultural development.
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