In a desperate search for a source of income, the Indian Ocean island nation of Sri Lanka is considering exporting up to 100,000 Ceylon hat monkeys to China. “They want these monkeys for their more than 1,000 zoos,” Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said Wednesday. The macaques, with their distinctive crown of hair, are widespread in Sri Lanka, but are classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Sri Lanka bans almost all live animal exports. But the Southeast Asian country is currently facing the worst economic crisis in its history and is depending on every penny. He had set up a committee to consider a request from China and an appropriate response, the minister said. He did not provide financial details about the proposed deal.
Monkeys no longer under protection in Sri Lanka
Monkeys are considered pests in Sri Lanka because they destroy crops, raid villages for food and sometimes attack humans. The authorities have therefore removed the animals from their protection list, freeing the farmers to shoot them.
Animal rights activists demand clarification on China’s advance
Animal rights activists from the Sri Lankan Environmental Foundation have criticized the project. They complain that the macaques have not been officially counted for 40 years and no one knows if the official estimates of two to three million are correct. They also demand information on why China wants so many monkeys – “for their meat, for medical research or for other reasons”.
Source: Krone
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