100,000 Toque Macaques to be exported to China

Kestrel

Kestrel

Well-Known Member
A Chinese delegation has requested that Sri Lanka provides 100,000 toque macaques to Zoos in China.

The current monkey population in Sri Lanka has reached nearly 3 million and are now considered pest legally which provides farmers with the choice of shooting the monkeys if they enter their agricultural land, and is no longer listed as a protected species in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka to export monkeys to China ? - NewsWire
 
China is a large country but I doubt their zoos can accomodate 100.000 macaques. Either that number is wrong, or they are destined rather for laboratories or pet trade or some other purpose. Does any part of China population consider them a food?

If macaques are really a pest now, the country is free to set export quotas and license catchers and export companies. And they better set also minimum age of animals. Otherwise most of them will be little infants that will fetch the highest demand and price.
 
Jana said:
China is a large country but I doubt their zoos can accomodate 100.000 macaques. Either that number is wrong, or they are destined rather for laboratories or pet trade or some other purpose. Does any part of China population consider them a food?

If macaques are really a pest now, the country is free to set export quotas and license catchers and export companies. And they better set also minimum age of animals. Otherwise most of them will be little infants that will fetch the highest demand and price.
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They most definitely cant house that many macaques, I my gut feeling is telling me that they are going to end up on people's dinner tables, which would be terrible.

I completely agree with you about allowing licencing, exporting to China is a huge red flag, for me at least. Exporting is the right decision to make instead of allowing them to be killed, but exporting them to a place where they will be eaten defeats the purpose.

I am sure many zoos globally will be interested in the species so hopefully there are other alternatives to prevent this export to china.
 
I wouldn't say it's likely they'll be eaten - much more likely that they will go to labs. Macaques are very commonly used in labs (although they generally use Crab-eating, but Toque aren't that different, just a bit smaller really). I would be surprised if the vast majority weren't destined to laboratories.
 
Kestrel said:
I am sure many zoos globally will be interested in the species so hopefully there are other alternatives to prevent this export to china.
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Unfortunately, I dont think foreign zoos will show much interest. They are not considered endangered species nor are they much attractive to visitors. Zoos in Europe and America rather phase out their macaque exhibits in recent years. Maybe few dozen could find new home, maximum.

In not so distant past, Europe used to import ten thousands of macaques from SE Asia annually. To use them in laboratories to develop and test new medicines and vaccines. But the EU now forbids to use any wild animals for such purpose. Only captive-born animals with known parents and specifically bred for this purpose are legal.

Huh, and to make it clear. My comment about macaques being eaten by Chinese was more a tongue in cheek and inside joke. To explain it. I volunteer in small local animal rescue and TNR for stray cats. But I observe activities of stray dog rescue organisations abroad too. And there is one trend - some Chinese groups advertise their dogs with (false) legend of them being rescued from meat trade, snapped at last minute when on way to illegal butcher. Real tearjerker. While their dogs are popular breeds like gold retrievers, pomeranians etc. They parasite on strong feelings of compassionate but naive Americans and West Europeans. So, it´s basically a scam how to sell their puppy-mill dogs for high prices.
 
Jana said:
Unfortunately, I dont think foreign zoos will show much interest. They are not considered endangered species nor are they much attractive to visitors. Zoos in Europe and America rather phase out their macaque exhibits in recent years. Maybe few dozen could find new home, maximum.

In not so distant past, Europe used to import ten thousands of macaques from SE Asia annually. To use them in laboratories to develop and test new medicines and vaccines. But the EU now forbids to use any wild animals for such purpose. Only captive-born animals with known parents and specifically bred for this purpose are legal.

Huh, and to make it clear. My comment about macaques being eaten by Chinese was more a tongue in cheek and inside joke. To explain it. I volunteer in small local animal rescue and TNR for stray cats. But I observe activities of stray dog rescue organisations abroad too. And there is one trend - some Chinese groups advertise their dogs with (false) legend of them being rescued from meat trade, snapped at last minute when on way to illegal butcher. Real tearjerker. While their dogs are popular breeds like gold retrievers, pomeranians etc. They parasite on strong feelings of compassionate but naive Americans and West Europeans. So, it´s basically a scam how to sell their puppy-mill dogs for high prices.
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They are Endangered according to IUCN, but they were last assessed in 2015.
 
Was browsing older news and found this - global shortage of macaques for laboratories. It quotes a price of 11.000USD per monkey.

If Sri Lanka will allow large exports to China, I hope they get at least fair price. This looks like very profitable bussiness for Chinese that re-sale macaques abroad.

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