The report of the recent animal census will be received tomorrow (28 March), Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation K.D. Lal Kantha said.
Addressing the media in Kandy yesterday, Minister Lal Kantha said that the report will be used to introduce necessary steps to manage wild animals in Sri Lanka.
Stating that this report cannot be considered a fully accurate report, he said more censuses need to be conducted in the future.
“There is no programme for the management of wild animals. The Wildlife Department is tasked with protecting animals and not managing them. To manage wild animals, a census must be conducted. For example, Australia is aware of its Kangaroo population because of a census conducted in this regard. However, in Sri Lanka, we are unaware of our monkey population. So it is essential to collect at least a rough count,” he said.
Minister Lal Kantha further said that an animal census will help determine whether to manage the wild animal population or to provide them to foreign countries.
“Through this, we can achieve a scientific solution. Up to date, no such measure had been taken. However, we have commenced this initiative. The initial step may not fulfill all requirements. We also would not be able to calculate the exact population. But we can ascertain an estimated number. Based on this, we can take necessary measures to manage wild animals,” he added.
Sri Lanka conducted a nationwide census on 15 March to identify crop-damaging animals affecting the agricultural sector.
The public was given a five-minute window, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:05 a.m., to count these animals on their properties using a designated form.
The census, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, aimed to track the presence of animals such as monkeys, giant squirrels, and peacocks in home gardens and farmlands.
The initiative is expected to help authorities devise strategies to mitigate the impact on crops. (Newswire)