5 October 2023 10:47 am Views - 1200
Several more countries apart from China have requested Sri Lanka to provide Toque macaque monkeys for their zoological gardens, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said today.
He told Parliament that the government had informed them to make the request through the respective embassies in those countries.
Responding to a question by SJB MP Niroshan Perera, the Minister said the requests for the export of monkeys have been halted as animal rights organisations and activists had filed a petition challenging the move.
He said crops worth more than Rs. 20 billion are lost annually due to animals such as monkeys, wild boars and peacocks.
The Minister said he discussed with animal rights organisations, who are against the export of monkeys, about their proposals to prevent crop damage but none of them had come up with any practical solutions. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)