Sri Lanka's Monkey Crisis: Over Seven Million and Counting
Can you imagine sharing your farmland with seven million uninvited guests? That’s exactly what’s happening right now in Sri Lanka. The country recently conducted a national wildlife census and the results are raising eyebrows—not to mention tempers. According to the Agrarian Research and Training Institute, Sri Lanka is home to over seven million monkeys , and farmers are feeling the impact.
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The census, conducted on March 15th, was the first of its kind and aimed at quantifying the damage caused by crop-raiding animals like monkeys, wild boars, peacocks, and even lorises. Residents across the island were asked to report sightings of these animals near their farms and homes during a five-minute window. While this may seem like a short time for a wildlife count, the results are dramatic.
Officials initially struggled with the numbers. In fact, even Deputy Environment Minister Anton Jayakodi called the data “unbelievable.” It turns out some figures had to be double-checked due to concerns that frustrated farmers might have inflated them. And honestly, it’s not hard to see why they might. In a country of 21 million people, having seven million monkeys competing for food and territory is more than just a nuisance—it’s a national crisis.
Over one-third of Sri Lanka’s crops are reportedly lost to wildlife every year. Elephants often top the list of culprits, but unlike monkeys, elephants are protected by law and were not included in the recent count. In contrast, Sri Lanka removed protections for several species in 2023, including all three monkey species, wild boars, and peacocks. That move effectively gave farmers legal permission to kill them—a controversial decision that reflects the growing desperation in rural communities.
The situation even led to a bizarre proposal last year: exporting 100,000 monkeys to Chinese zoos. That plan, unsurprisingly, was met with fierce backlash from environmentalists and was eventually shelved.
Critics, like opposition lawmaker Nalin Bandara, are calling the whole census a failure and a waste of public funds. But regardless of political spin, one thing is clear: Sri Lanka needs a well-thought-out, humane, and effective wildlife management strategy. Because when monkeys outnumber solutions, the problem is anything but monkey business.
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