A government minister revealed on Tuesday that Sri Lanka is exploring a proposal from a Chinese private enterprise to move 100,000 endemic monkeys to China, provoking outrage from animal rights activists.
The island’s agriculture minister has formed a committee to assess the plan to export 100,000 toque macaques, which are only found in Sri Lanka, to be displayed in Chinese zoos, according to Cabinet Spokesperson and Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana.
“This is not a discussion between the Sri Lankan government and the Chinese government but with a Chinese company,” Gunawardana told reporters at a weekly briefing, without naming the company. “The committee will evaluate the proposal.”
The idea has upset environmentalists and conservationists, who have warned that the monkeys may be sent to labs rather than zoos, even if it means earning some hard cash for a country facing its worst economic crisis in more than seven decades.
According to the organizations, China has only about 18 zoos, each of which would have to house about 5,000 monkeys.
“Macaques, with their human-like qualities have been particularly popular, especially with medical testing facilities in the USA and Europe. The potential income from such a trade would be far greater than that from the sale of this species to zoos,” four conservation organisations said in a joint statement. “Is this where these macaques are headed?”
They urged that the project be withdrawn and that the habitats of toque macaques be safeguarded. They also want the government to commit resources to study the monkeys’ behavior and reduce harvest losses, which the agriculture ministry cites as a basis for considering capturing and exporting the creatures.
