Sri Lanka Conducts Wildlife Census to Assess Crop Damage from Animals

Sri Lanka took a national wildlife census on Saturday morning by sending 40,000 local authorities to survey wild animals around farms and settlements. The five-minute survey was for species like wild boars, lorises, peacocks, and monkeys, which have been known to cause huge damage to crops.

In the northern-central division of Anuradhapura, farmer households came together in fields to count animals and note down their findings on forms distributed by the agriculture ministry.

Maintaining Accuracy in the Census

Ajith Pushpakumara, a ministry official dealing with agriculture, said the reasoning behind the speedy count. “”We are having census during a very short time period to ensure there is no double counting,” he said to journalists in Colombo. “We are expecting that the results will be about 80 percent accurate. After we have an idea of the number of these animals, we can plan out the next steps to deal with them.”

In Anuradhapura, approximately 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Colombo, local farmers participated eagerly in the count. Chaminda Dissanayake, an agriculture department official overseeing the census in Mihintale, reported the numbers. “We had a very successful count from very enthusiastic participants. They are the farmers who continuously suffer crop damage. Our count was 227 toque monkeys and 65 purple faced langurs.”

Criticism Over the Counting Exercise

Despite the massive endeavour, opposition member Nalin Bandara condemned the project as a “waste of money.” He claimed the count missed the nocturnal insects that destroy the farms during the nights. “This is a complete failure, a waste of money. What about the pests that attack farms at night. They are not being counted,” Bandara said.

Impact of Wildlife on Agriculture

Over a third of Sri Lanka’s crops are said to be destroyed by wild animals, including elephants, which were not counted here because of their sacred status and legal protection. Although elephants are still significant threats to rice paddies and fruit plantations, the government targeted animals that are no longer under the protection of wildlife laws.

In 2023, Sri Lanka de-listed a number of species, including all three indigenous monkey species, peacocks, and wild boars, so farmers could kill them if they are a nuisance. Also, a contentious proposal to send 100,000 toque macaques to Chinese zoos was shelved in the face of fierce resistance from green activists.

The results of the wildlife census are likely to assist authorities in formulating strategies to reduce crop damage while reconciling conservation.