Move FM Global News

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka has abandoned its proposal to export 100,000 endangered toque macaque monkeys to China, following opposition from conservation organizations and a court petition, according to the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka.

In the face of the country’s severe economic crisis, a Chinese company had put forward a plan to capture and export wild toque macaques to Chinese zoos. However, concerns were raised by conservation groups, who warned that the monkeys might end up in laboratories, rather than zoos. The group took the matter to the Court of Appeal, seeking to block any export of the monkeys to China.

During the court hearing this week, the attorney general confirmed that the Department of Wildlife and Conservation had provided assurance that they would not proceed with exporting the monkeys to China, as stated in a statement. The case will be further reviewed by the Court of Appeal on July 6th to document the commitment made by the state to the court.

Toque macaques, a species exclusive to Sri Lanka, are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The financial details of the proposed deal between the Chinese company and the Sri Lankan government have not been disclosed.