By The Sri Lankan government is requesting complete details from the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka regarding a Chinese animal breeding company’s proposal to obtain 100,000 toque macaques for zoos in China. Environmentalists have criticized the proposal for the endemic monkeys of Sri Lanka.
The Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka denies any knowledge of a request from the Chinese state to Sri Lanka. The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) has gathered information that the company is newly registered and suspicious, lacking a signature and contact person information. The company stamp is also upside down, indicating the work of a fraudster or a person who does not read Chinese.
The Minister of Agriculture has presided over three meetings with the company representatives, and a committee of experts, stakeholders, and officials will be appointed to consider the proposal. The National Food Promotion Board chairman received a letter from the Chinese company directly requesting a large quantity of monkeys for exhibition purposes. Practicality and legality will be reviewed, and recommendations from the committee will guide further action.
