Sri Lanka Monkey Survey Derailed as Farmers Inflate Primates, Peacock Counts
Sri Lankaâs monkey survey hit a snag when farmersâ reports of crop-raiding animalsâespecially monkeys and peacocksâsoared into improbable territory during the March 15 count. Deputy Minister Anton Jayakodi called the results âunbelievable,â as some claimed swarms of wildlife bigger than their entire villages.
Officials launched the nationwide nuisance wildlife survey hoping for clarity, but instead found 'unusually high' animal tallies, including one village counting more peacocks than people. The phrase 'monkey business' became literal as the government reviews the data to avoid a statistical stampede.
Over a third of Sri Lankaâs crops are reportedly destroyed by wild animals annually, but this year, farmersâ exaggerated monkey math may have outnumbered the countryâs human censusâleaving officials scratching their heads and their data sheets.