In December 2024,  Sri Lanka’s newly appointed minister of agriculture K. D. Lalkantha told the Parliament that farmers should have the right to take action against crop-raiding wild animals. His comments drew backlash, particularly from environmentalists who termed the minister’s remarks harmful and an invitation to kill wildlife at will. While opinions remain divided on the efficacy of taking such a course of action amidst growing crop raids by wildlife, the long-standing problem needs to be addressed.

Amid calls for an urgent solution, the new administration formed a 15-member committee and called for public responses to solving the issue of crop-raiding pests. The first snag the committee ran into is the lack of population data of these wild animals, a key challenge to seeking a solution. Based on the committee’s recommendations, an island-wide citizen-assisted count of crop-raiding animals is set for Mar. 15 at 8 a.m., lasting just five minutes.

To read the full story visit https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/sri-lanka-calls-for-five-minute-surveys-to-identify-crop-raiding-animals/