DAMBULLA: Sri Lanka started a wildlife census on Saturday to depend monkeys, peacocks and big squirrels, aiming to handle their populations as farmers complain of agricultural losses.
Agriculture accounts for 8% of the nation’s financial system and employs 8.1 million individuals, authorities information confirmed.
Sri Lanka is the fourth-largest coconut merchandise exporter globally and produces about 3 billion cashew and different nuts yearly, based on the Exports Growth Board (EDB).
However coconut manufacturing, together with vegetable and fruit cultivation, has been hit on account of crop destruction by monkeys, peacocks and big squirrels, a high authorities official mentioned.
“The issue has change into so dangerous persons are giving up farming. We’re shedding about 20% of whole agricultural manufacturing. It’s estimated that 90 million coconuts are misplaced yearly,” Namal Karunaratne, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, instructed Reuters.
“The census is step one to understanding the density of those animals in farming areas so we are able to formulate correct insurance policies to handle them.”
The census comes after an incident in February when a monkey precipitated a nationwide blackout and energy cuts lasting for 3 days.
Edirisinghe Arachchilage Gnanasena, a 72-year-old farmer, counted 45 monkeys, six big squirrels and 9 peacocks, within the 5 minutes allotted for the census. His eight-acre plot of farmland in Dambulla, a metropolis in central Sri Lanka, has been battling crop losses for years.
With an air gun throughout his shoulder and lead pellets in a plastic bag, Gnanasena spends hours patrolling the neat rows of coconut, mango and banana crops he has fastidiously grown.
However tribes of monkeys nonetheless strip bushes of tons of of coconuts and decide mangoes, whereas peacocks swallow lengthy beans complete, Gnanasena mentioned.
“Monkeys are used to the air gun, so I gentle firecrackers to scare them off. However they at all times come again.”
Farmers attribute the rising numbers of monkeys, peacocks, porcupines and wild boars within the space to habitat loss.
“I hope this census results in long-term options. That’s what we wish,” he added.
“This isn’t the fault of the animals. It’s the fault of the people.”
