COLOMBO: Cash-strapped Sri Lanka is considering exporting up to 100,000 endangered monkeys to China, the agriculture minister said Wednesday , raising concerns among conservationists.
Sri Lanka bans almost all live animal exports and the proposed sale comes as it faces its worst-ever economic crisis. No financial details were made available. Sri Lanka removed several species from a protected list this year, including all three of its monkey species as well as peacocks and wild boars, allowing farmers to kill them.
"We want to know why they want so many monkeys - whether it is for meat, medical research or some other purpose," the foundation's Jagath Gunawardana told reporters in Colombo.