Sri Lanka may have found the solution to (partly) solve two problems, explains The Sunday Times, reported by Courrier international. The first is “the [uncontrolled] increase in the monkey population”, explains the Sri Lankan media. The second is Colombo’s huge debt to Beijing, a consequence of “the worst economic crisis ever”, explains South China Morning Post.
The solution, proposed by China, would be for Sri Lanka to send 100,000 toque macaques to populate the approximately 18 Chinese zoos. This in-kind transaction would strengthen the ties between these two countries and “would contribute to the reimbursement, by Sri Lanka, of the 7 billion dollars that it owes to Beijing within the framework of the construction sites of the new Silk Roads”, explains The Sunday Times.
But this proposal is not to everyone’s taste, and in particular environmental associations, who fear that the animals, endemic, will be used for scientific purposes. “The macaques, whose characteristics are close to those of humans, are appreciated, in particular by medical trial centers in the United States and Europe. The potential revenue from such trade would be far greater than that from selling this species to zoos,” four conservation organizations said in a joint statement.
These associations asked that the proposal be rejected and that the habitats of toque macaques be protected. They also want the government to allocate resources to study monkey behavior and reduce crop losses, a reason cited by the Ministry of Agriculture for considering the capture and export of these animals.