Plea on behalf of torque monkeys in Sri Lanka
The Ministry of Agriculture in Sri Lanka is considering a request to send 100,000 Toque Macaque monkeys to zoological gardens in China. The proposal to export 100,000 torque monkeys to China has generated considerable debate and discussion. It is estimated that there are over 3 million torque monkeys in Sri Lanka. Although government has stated that these monkeys will be dispatched to zoos in China, there are concerns whether the monkeys will be used for food, animal experiments and other purposes.
The torque monkeys are primates endemic to Sri Lanka. Monkeys are intelligent primates. Their emotions and feelings are similar to humans. Capturing and transporting these free-living creatures over a long distance will result in intense mental and physical agony. The torque monkeys are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), appearing on the IUCN red list of threatened species.
The exact number of these monkeys in Sri Lanka are not known. The estimates range from 200,000 to 3 million. If there are indeed 3 million monkeys exporting 100,000 (3%) of their population is unlikely to have any impact as there is no method to specifically identify the monkeys who damage crops. If the total population of these monkeys is about 200,000, we would be exporting 50% of an endemic species. With farmers receiving permission to kill these monkeys, there is possibility that their numbers may reduce to dangerously low levels in the future.
These monkeys reside in jungles and only visit the plantations in search of food because humans have gradually encroached on their natural habitat. Hence, they will have to be caught in the jungles which is their legitimate habitat, which is highly unethical.
It is unlikely that Chinese Zoos will require such a large number of these primates. It is possible that many of these animals will be used for research purposes and for food considering the proclivity of the Chinese people to consume the meat of exotic animals.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “any disease or infection that is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans” is defined a zoonosis or zoonotic disease. There is strong evidence that zoonotic disease outbreaks are linked to human activities. The consumption of meat of wild animals has been identified as the cause for the spill-over into humans for SARS-CoV-2, Monkey pox virus and Ebola virus with subsequent human-to-human transmission.
The world has experienced two global pandemics (SARS and Covid-19) causing very high morbidity and mortality among humans within the last decade as a result of these eating habits. As a Consultant Medical Microbiologist, my concern is that these animals exported from Sri Lanka could contribute to spread of new zoonotic diseases. If that were to happen, Sri Lanka and China will be held equally accountable.
If the export of animals were to be legalized, it is likely to open the floodgates for large scale trafficking in other animals. This will include peacocks, elephants, giant squirrels, stray dogs and stray cats. Some consider elephants, monkey, peacocks, and giant squirrels as pests.
All the major religions teach loving kindness to animals. Sri Lanka is a predominantly Buddhist and Hindu country. Therefore, such a project will be unacceptable to the Lankan clergy and the general public. I feed a large number of stray animals especially dogs and cats on a daily basis at home and in the community. I care for them at my own expense. I wish to stress the importance of loving kindness to animals.
I appeal to the President and the government of Sri Lanka to resist the temptation to export of monkeys to China. We should prevent a Buddhist nation from becoming a hub of animal trafficking in the world.
The Buddhist tradition is about refraining from harming any living being. We must refrain from harming animals.
In the words of the Buddha “All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?”
Dr. Nilanthi Senanayake
Consultant Medical Microbiologist and Senior Lecturer,
Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology,
Faculty of Medicine,
University of Colombo
