Govt. to provide farmers with Shotguns to control wild boar, toque monkeys and giant squirrels

• In 2023, wild animals have destroyed 300 million coconut plantations in the country

By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama  

The Agriculture Ministry has decided to reduce the extent of five acres stipulated earlier, to two acres of farmland for their owners to qualify to own shotguns to protect their crops.  
The Ministry said that most farmers have abandoned their crops since wild boar, toque monkeys and giant squirrels have destroyed their crops, and the damage caused has exceeded fifty percent. 

Therefore, the government has to implement the proposal of the farmers, as there is currently no viable alternative to reduce damages caused by wildlife.   
In 2023, wild animals have destroyed 300 million coconut plantations in the country, the Ministry claimed.  

In 2022, 96 million coconuts were destroyed by toque monkeys and giant squirrels. It has been confirmed that these wild animals destroy about 40 percent of the total crops.  
 “If we can protect crops from wild animals, we can be self-sufficient in food without cultivating new crops,” the Ministry said.  

Meanwhile, the Ministry said a case has been filed by the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) and several other organizations and individuals (totaling 30 petitioners) before the Court of Appeal seeking writs in the nature of certiorari and prohibition to prevent the Minister of Agriculture from proceeding with his proposal to export to China 100,000 Toque Macaque monkeys endemic to Sri Lanka.