Sri Lanka Scraps Plans to Export Endangered Toque Macaques to China

Sri Lanka has scrapped plans to export 100,000 endangered toque macaque monkeys to China, the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka (WNPS) said on Monday. On Sunday, the local Wildlife Conservation Department said it had not given approval for the proposed export, but added that the company was only seeking permission to capture the animals from the wild. The WNPS said it was concerned that the "scraping of the plan to export the monkeys is only a temporary reprieve and the threat of such a proposal is not completely gone". The organization said it would continue to campaign against any proposal to export or commercially exploit the species in future.

This was in response to a petition filed by 30 conservation organisations, who had warned that the monkeys could be sent to laboratories instead of zoos. The attorney general informed the Court of Appeal that the Department of Wildlife and Conservation had assured it that "they will not be taking steps to export monkeys to China". The case is due to be taken up again on 6 July to record the undertaking given to the court. Toque macaques, endemic to Sri Lanka, are classified as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) welcomed the government's decision, saying it recognized the animals "aren't commodities to be bought and sold". The value of the proposed deal between the company and the Sri Lankan government had not been disclosed. The WNPS expressed concern that the threat of such a proposal is not completely gone, and said it would continue to campaign against any future attempts to export or commercially exploit the species.