Colombo: Despite the fact that crop raids and other animal-human conflicts are on the rise in Sri Lanka, a recent request for 100,000 toque macaques from Sri Lanka by a Chinese company has reignited the conversation about wildlife exploitation.
The destruction of crops by wild has been a significant issue for many people, particularly rural communities, and a survey published last year anticipated an overall loss of 30.215 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($93.6 million) during the first half of 2022.
The toque macaque (Macaca sinica) tops this list of pests with coconuts being the most affected crop. As Sri Lanka looks for solutions to the problem, a statement by Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera about a Chinese company’s wishes to import 100,000 macaques has resulted in a huge outcry from animal rights activists and environmentalists.
“The minister says the animals will be exported to some Chinese zoos. However, there are only a few zoos there with the ability to accommodate this many number of monkeys. This just fuels our fear that this is not the real purpose and the macaques may be used for medical research,” says Panchali Panapitiya of the animal rights non-profit Rally for Animal Rights and Environment.
However, it is now illegal to serve monkey brains in China and violations can result in imprisonment extending up to 10 years.
Recent news stories that claimed China was having a shortage of experimental monkeys raised suspicions. According to other media sources, China was interested in importing donkeys and dogs from Pakistan, primarily for domestic consumption.
As the controversy grew, the Chinese Embassy of Sri Lanka issued a statement denying any involvement of the government of the People’s Republic of China in any “monkey imports” from Sri Lanka.