China to accept 100,000 toque monkeys posing headache to Lankan farmers

By Ifham Nizam

The Wildlife Conservation Department has given the green light to release 100,000 Toque monkeys under the friendship and animal exchange programme.

A group of Chinese representatives have submitted a request to the Ministry of Agriculture to provide Sri Lankan toque monkeys to zoological gardens in China.

A special discussion was held yesterday at the Ministry of Agriculture to grant this request for100,000 toque monkeys under the first phase.

A group of officials representing the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Zoological Department and the Wildlife Department participated in the discussion which was chaired by Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera.

According to this discussion, Minister Amaraweera said that steps should be taken to appoint a committee with the approval of the Cabinet to study the legal situation regarding the provision of Sri Lankan toque monkeys to a foreign country.

The minister mentioned that the committee should also include officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Zoology, Department of Wildlife and the Attorney General’s Department.

A Cabinet paper is to be presented for the immediate appointment of this committee. It has been revealed that currently the toque monkey population in the country is close to three million and still growing. Toque monkeys are the foremost among the animals that cause crop damage in this country. All the efforts made by the government so far to reduce their population have failed.

The survey done by the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agricultural Training and Research Institute has confirmed that the highest intensity or severity of crop damage has been reported from the toque monkeys. According to surveys conducted in 250 agricultural development areas, toque monkeys have caused complete damage in 110 of them, severe damage in 235 and partial damage in 155. Most of the damage caused by toque monkeys is reported from the North-West Province.

However, it was also emphasised that when looking at the damage caused to crops in Sri Lanka by toque monkeys, it is a welcome development that another country came forward to accept such a large number of them.