Monkey Business: Sri Lanka To Export 100,000 Toque Macaque Monkeys To China: A Critical Review O...

By Murali Vallipuranathan –

Sri Lankan Agriculture Ministry is considering a request from Chinese representatives to send 100,000 toque macaque monkeys under the first phase to the zoological gardens in China according to recent media reports[1]. It was further reported that Toque monkeys are the foremost among the animals that cause crop damage in Sri Lanka and the current toque monkey population of Sri Lanka is close to three million [1]. The aim of this article is to critically analyze the validity of the statements in the above media report and discuss the possible implications of sending 100,000 monkeys to China. 

Background: monkeys and their conservation status in Sri Lanka 

Sri Lanka has 5 species of nonhuman primates and leaving aside the 2 species of nocturnal slender lorises we have 3 diurnal species of monkeys: Tufted Grey Langur, Purple-faced leaf monkey and Toque macaque. Purple-faced leaf monkey and Toque macaque are endemic to Sri Lanka while Grey Langur can be found in India too [2]. All species of nonhuman primates are decreasing in population due to habitat loss caused by deforestation and other human activities [2]. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classification, Grey Langur is nearly threatened[3], Toque macaque is endangered, Purple-faced leaf monkey is (more) endangered[4] and lorises are critically endangered[5].

Estimated number of Toque macaques in Sri Lanka

Specifically, Toque macaques are listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, 2015), appearing on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species[6]. It shows that the international experts are of the opinion that Toque macaques are decreasing in numbers over the time. Out of more than 200 species of monkeys in the world today, monkeys can be elusive in the wild and they are hard to count as individuals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the gelada as one of the most populous species, having a total population of about 200,000 individuals[7]. Therefore obviously the numbers of Toque macaque cannot be 3 million and at the higher end we can estimate around 200,000. Therefore exporting 100,000 monkeys to China in the first phase would reduce the population by at least 50% and can lead to serious environmental imbalances. 

Why are monkeys imported? 

Though monkeys are imported for various reasons including for meat, pets, zoos and circuses, the main reason for import of monkeys remains medically related research including testing of drugs, vaccines , transplants and infectious diseases of the brain and other organs[8]. Monkeys are selected over other animals because of their genetic and other similarities with humans. Monkey import is a massive industry that operates beyond our imaginations with legal imports on one end and trafficking of monkey at large scale at other end. The US alone imported approximately 482,000 monkeys between 2000 and 2020[9]. Among the monkey species mainly macaques and marmosets are used in research and testing around the world each year[10]. Although there are breeding centers in several countries including China, catching from the wild is considered as a cheaper option[11].  

Ethics and the tragedy of macaques in experiments and in China

Macaques are highly intelligent social animals and experience emotions in a similar way to humans. They can experience pain and psychological distress as a result of experimental procedures and from the way they are bred, transported or housed. The capture of wild primates for use in breeding colonies and for experiments in some countries also causes very significant suffering. In the breeding centers the monkey mothers will be forced to live and breed in filthy, barren conditions. All the babies are ripped away from the mothers shortly after birth, though in the wild, babies become independent only after 2 years. Exporting animals to China is a particular concern because China does not have any laws against animal cruelty. Only one wild animal protection law exists in China to protect endangered species of wildlife such as pandas, pangolins, and snub-nosed monkeys[12]. Notably Chinese zoos are known for their notorious treatment of animals in captivity[13]. In 2021 China was facing serious experimental monkey shortage during the COVID‐19 lockdown and the sale price had skyrocketed[14]. 

Possible Environmental impact of rapid decline of macaques in Sri Lanka

Toque macaques are mainly frugivorous and involved in seed dispersing. Rapid decline of these monkeys may affect the spread of the plants feeding these monkeys. Rapid decline of macaques can lead to an increase in lizards and small birds because these monkeys are known to feed on them. On the other hand, leopards, fishing cats, pythons and mugger crocodiles are known to prey on these monkeys. A rapid decline of monkeys can lead these predators to look for alternative prey including domestic animals.  

Conclusions

Sri Lanka has been undergoing extensive deforestation with successive political regimes destroying the forests under the name of development projects. In 2021 alone it lost 13.3kha of natural forest[15]. Consequently the forests have been fragmented and the habitats of all the monkeys have shrunk. Human Encroachment into the areas originally occupied by monkeys leads to conflicts. Further Grey Langurs and Macaques have learnt to get food from pilgrims and tourists and can be frequently seen around temples and other tourist places. All these interactions have led the people to perceive the macaques as pests and falsely assume that they are increasing in numbers. It is time for the environmentalists and zoologists to enlighten the public and stop the impending disaster to toque macaques for business profits. At least the toque macaques (rilawa) deserve to live in peace in a country that claims to follow Buddhist doctrine of right livelihood and practice kindness to other animals.  

*Author Dr. Murali Vallipuranathan is a visiting lecturer at the Universities of Jaffna and Colombo, a Senior Specialist of the Ministry of Health and a Council Member of the Sri Lanka Medical Association. He claims the opinion expressed in this article with social responsibility aims to improve the public awareness on this issue and is not related to his official positions. 

Reference:

1. https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking_news/Sri-Lanka-to-send-100-000-toque-monkeys-to-zoological-gardens-in-China/108-257511
2. https://bioone.org/journals/primate-conservation/volume-23/issue-1/052.023.0109/Diurnal-Primates-in-Sri-Lanka-and-Peoples-Perception-of-Them/10.1896/052.023.0109.full
3. https://animalia.bio/tufted-gray-langur  
4. https://www.dilmahconservation.org/about-animals/mammals–f9925cffabdd604dfab150bbcb49f2a8/purple-facedlangur–4d3d8e2f9ff0f0b28e8715756f4da56f.html 
5. https://www.conservationleadershipprogramme.org/media/2014/11/001906_Sri-Lanka_FinalReport_Slender-Loris.pdf 
6. https://neprimateconservancy.org/toque-macaque/ 
7. https://a-z-animals.com/blog/how-many-monkeys-are-in-the-world/
8. https://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/opinions_layman/en/non-human-primates/index.htm#:~:text=Context%20%2D%20Every%20year%2C%20more%20than,infectious%20diseases%20or%20the%20brain.
9. https://riseforanimals.org/news/exclusive-nhp-importation-data/
10. https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/laboratory/primates
11. https://headlines.peta.org/monkey-importation/
12. https://legaljournal.princeton.edu/how-long-will-chinas-animal-cruelty-laws-have-to-wait%EF%BF%BC/
13. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2100775/chinas-terrible-zoos-and-why-theyre-still-thriving
14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8236990/
15. https://www.globalforestwatch.org/ statistics of Sri Lanka. 

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