Sri Lanka is considering the possibility of exporting up to 100,000 endangered toque macaque monkeys to China, a move that has raised concerns among conservationists, as per the country's agriculture minister. As per reports, the toque macaque is endemic to Sri Lanka and is classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. The sale of live animals is nearly entirely prohibited in Sri Lanka, but with the country's current economic crisis, it is considering the proposal. The agriculture minister has not provided any financial details regarding the sale. Minister Mahinda Amaraweera revealed that the Chinese government is interested in the monkeys for the roughly 1,000 zoos in China. A committee has been set up to study the request and to explore ways to carry out the plan.
