Animal census not scientific, data cannot be used for any conclusion on wildlife population: Environmentalist

By Huzefa Aliasger

The recent data on the animal census conducted by the Agriculture Ministry cannot be used to identify whether the animal species counted are endangered or not, due to a lack of scientific methods to back the results, a senior environmentalist said.

Environmentalist Dr. Jagath Gunawardana, who is also a lawyer, told the Daily Mirror that the entire census was not done using scientific methodology. He said it was carried out by untrained staff.”

Asked about any conclusion on wildlife population, he said, “it is not possible to use this data at all. The data is incorrect.” The data revealed that Sri Lanka is home to 5.17 million Toque macaques, 1.74 million other monkeys, 2.66 million giant squirrels,  and 4.24 million peacocks is inaccurate and incorrect. Toque macaques have four subspecies, and langur monkeys have some species, including the purple-faced langur. Giant squirrels also have three subspecies. But none of them has been mentioned in the census, according to him. 

The census, held on March 15, involved residents participating by counting and reporting sightings of wild animals such as Toque macaques, other monkey species, giant squirrels and peacocks, particularly those venturing into farmlands and causing crop damage. Agriculture Ministry Director Hemantha Amarasinghe told the media that seven million leaflets were printed by the Government Printers at a cost of Rs. 2,478,000.

He said the importance of using scientific techniques in conducting surveys to get accurate results.