Sri Lanka’s controversial animal census has sparked debate after revelations that half the reported figures on monkeys, baboons, and peacocks may be inaccurate despite millions spent on the survey.
Sri Lanka’s much-publicized National Animal Census has come under fire after Deputy Minister of Agriculture Namal Karunaratne admitted in Parliament that the results are only “50% correct.” According to the official report, the survey counted 5,197,517 monkeys, 1,747,623 monkeys of another category, 2,666,630 baboons, and 4,285,745 peacocks across the island. However, the Deputy Minister stressed that the data cannot be fully relied upon and only about half of the numbers can be accepted as accurate.
The government allocated around Rs. 3.3 million for the census, raising questions about the efficiency and reliability of the project. Karunaratne defended the effort by saying that, despite flaws, the survey provides a useful framework to identify the distribution of wild animals at the Divisional Secretariat Division level. This information, he explained, could help authorities implement better wildlife management strategies and address growing conflicts between humans and animals in rural areas.
Critics argue that spending millions on a census with questionable accuracy highlights inefficiencies in data collection. With human-wildlife conflict already a pressing issue, calls are growing for more scientific methods and transparent reporting in future surveys.
