Resolving toque monkey issue hits a snag

• Shortage of Veterinary surgeons and facilities
• Environmentalists says sterilization will create more issues  

By M.W.Somaratne

Efforts to capture and sterilize toque macaques planned by the government has hit a snag. This is due to the shortage of veterinary surgeons, transport facilities and other facilities at the Giritale Sterilizing Centre while an environmentalist stating that sterilizing will create more issues. 
  
Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs and Chairman of Matale District Coordinating Committee Gamagedara Dissanayake told the meeting of the committee that the project had ground to a halt for want of facilities to implement the project.   

He pointed out that the Chairman of Matale Agricultural Crop Conservators Society D.M.B.Daudasekara pointed out the project was a productive long term one and that it should be streamlined to resolve the issue.   

Meanwhile a leading environmentalist Nayanaka Ranwella said Sterilizing the toque monkeys will not reduce or stop the menace and it might create more issues,.   

 “Sterilizing a monkey be it a male or a female will increase their life span. If the life span of a monkey is ten years, the sterilization will make the animal live for ten more years. They will look for food and and destroy more crops if thy live longer. Will sterilization therefore resolve the menace they have already created?” he questioned. It will not he said.   

“Also sterilizing some species of toque monkeys will make them extinct.” he said at the same time. “One of the best things which people could do is to dispose their leftover food in a proper manner. Monkeys get used to come into villages seeking food if people throw their leftover food in the open. Effective disposal of leftover food will prevent them from coming into villages to a fair extent,” he said.