Former President Maithripala Sirisena says the monkey population in Sri Lanka has increased.
Speaking in Parliament today, the former President said that farmers are facing a serious issue where crops in the country are being destroyed by animals.
Sirisena noted that monkeys destroy coconut trees by trying to pluck just one nut.
He said that when he was Agriculture Minister there were around 1 million monkeys in Sri Lanka.
However today, he says the number has increased to over 2 million monkeys.
The former President said that monkeys are destroying several coconut trees in the country.
However, he said that these animals are not harmed being a Buddhist country and also keeping in mind that there are animal rights groups who will oppose such an act.
He said that Sri Lanka is the only country where animals are given protection as opposed to food grown for human consumption. (Colombo Gazette)