Colombo wants to send 100,000 monkeys to China
These are capuchin macaques, a primate very similar genetically to humans, ideal guinea pigs for drug and vaccine experiments. The Chinese embassy has denied the news, saying it is disinformation, but environmentalists continue to express concern about the proposal. In favour, on the other hand, are the farmers who are increasingly worried about the damage these animals cause to crops.
Colombo (AsiaNews) - The Sri Lankan government has announced that it has received a proposal from China to export 100,000 cape macaques, sparking protests from environmentalists who, in opposing the decision, point out that there are no legal provisions for exporting large numbers of wild animals to other countries.
"The export of wild animals will not help bring foreign currency to the country. According to the law, our country cannot export animals for profit as we have signed an agreement not to sell wild animals,' said environmental activist Nayanaka Ranwella.
Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera claims to have received the proposal from a Chinese delegation visiting Sri Lanka and said that the primates would be destined for 1,000 Chinese zoos. While environmentalists fear that the animals will be used for scientific experiments or even as food, the Chinese embassy in Colombo issued a press release denying the news, saying it was a 'disinformation' campaign.
The bonnet macaque is an endemic species in Sri Lanka, and although it is not protected by the country, it is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list as endangered. According to environmentalists, an order for a large number of monkeys was also received from the United States, which imported 482,000 specimens for experimental purposes from 2000 to 2020. Caped macaques are in fact legally and illegally traded internationally because of their genetic similarity to humans, making them ideal guinea pigs for drug and vaccine testing.
According to Amaraweera, Sri Lanka has a population of 3 million cap macaques (a figure environmental activists claim is only 200,000). This animal species is also the talk of the town because of the damage it causes to crops, which according to some estimates would result in a loss of USD 19.3 million. 'Exporting monkeys is not a solution,' Ranwella explained. "We have already proposed other ways to protect crops, but no one in government is willing to listen to us."
Many farmers, however, agree with the government's proposal. Some farmers in the Anuradhapura area told AsiaNews that the problem is not new: 'We have had problems with monkeys in the past too. Now the situation has simply worsened'. As a result, the government has allowed farmers to kill a number of animals that damage crops by removing them from the list of protected animals.
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