No less than 424 villages and hamlets in the Badulla district are fighting an invasion by hordes of rilavas, Sri Lanka’s own, endemic forest monkey known internationally as the ‘Toque Macaque’. The agricultural activities of the people of this rural belt have been severely hampered by this monkey menace, Parliament was told last week.
Minister Gayantha Karunatilake made this disclosure when replying a question raised by Badulla District UNP MP Chaminda Wijesiri. Speaking on behalf of the Minister for Agriculture, Livestock Development, Irrigation and Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development (P. Harison), Minister Karunatilake said that the Committee which was appointed to study the threats by wild animals to the agriculture sector and propose sustainable solutions has now presented a Cabinet memorandum with a series of recommendations.
Minister Karunatilake assured the House that the Cabinet will soon look into the recommendations and give its decision on the matter.
MP Wijesiri requested an expedited solution to the matter, pointing out that moving wild animals from one area to the other would not be a practical solution to it.