The islandwide Animal Census, which was conducted in March this year, was made public at the Ministry of Agriculture today. 

Speaking to the media, representatives of the Ministry revealed that the census has reported 5.17 million Toque monkeys (Rilawa) and 1.74 million Grey Langurs (Wandura) in Sri Lanka. 

They further said that giant squirrels amount to 2.66 million and that there were 4.74 million peacocks. 

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, organised 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 was conducted to help authorities devise strategies to mitigate the impact on crops. (Newswire)

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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)

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A nationwide census will be held tomorrow (15 Mar) to identify crop-damaging animals in a bid to mitigate issues faced by the agricultural sector. 

The census will be conducted to track animals, such as monkeys, giant squirrels and peacocks, in home gardens and farmlands.

The Ministry of Agriculture has taken the necessary measures to conduct the census on Saturday from 08.00 am to 08.05 am.

According to a form distributed for this purpose, five minutes have been provided for farmers to count such animals on their properties.

Those who do not receive a form are advised to note down the number of these animals observed within their premises during the designated five-minute window and submit the information to their relevant Grama Niladhari officer. 

The Ministry of Agriculture has also designated officers who will coordinate with farm managers to ensure accurate data collection in areas with large-scale cultivations. 

According to the ministry, at least 62,000 government officials will participate in this census and it will be conducted based on 70,000 households.

In addition, the census will be conducted based on 1.3 million different locations, including public places, government institutions, religious places, university and school premises, cultivated lands, and farmlands.

Accordingly, this census will be conducted in 8,300,000 locations on a single day within a period of five minutes, the Agriculture Ministry added. (Newswire)

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The Ministry of Agriculture has taken the necessary measures to conduct a census of crop-damaging animals on Saturday (15 Mar).

According to a form distributed for this purpose, five minutes have been provided for farmers to count such animals on their properties.

Per the form, the animal census will be conducted from 08.00 am to 08.05 am on 15 March 2025. 

Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands, and Irrigation revealed that Rs. 2.4 million was spent on printing documents related to the animal census, with each census paper costing approximately 30 cents.

According to the Ministry, a total of Rs. 2,478,000, including VAT, was spent on printing the census papers, adding that the Government Printing Department has been instructed to produce about 7 million such documents for the census. 

It is also reported that an operations room has been established within the premises of the Agriculture Ministry to conduct the animal census on Saturday more accurately and efficiently.

A special committee has also been appointed to oversee the animal census, on crop-damaging animals, such as monkeys, giant squirrels and peacocks. (Newswire)

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