Nepali Congress lawmaker Ram Hari Khatiwada proposed selling monkeys to China to tackle the nation’s growing agricultural destruction caused by the simians.
He suggested this solution during a parliamentary discussion on urgent public issues raised by the minister for forest and environment.
Citing Sri Lanka’s sale of monkeys to China, Khatiwada said that Nepal should also use a similar strategy to deal with the simian-problem.
“The monkey menace has induced nationwide terror. Sri Lanka sold its monkey to China, earn revenue, manage the monkeys and send the harmful animal as well. Nepal’s monkey, after being declared harmful, has there been any arrangement for its sale to China or not? In the Hilly areas, the residents are struggling hard due to the menace,” Khatiwada said.
This will also serve as a strategy to control the monkey threat that ravages the hilly part of Nepal.
Nepal is home to three monkey species: the Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), the Assamese monkey (Macaca assamensis), and the Hanuman langur (Semnopithecus entellus).
Legal barriers to Monkey trade
As a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Nepal must adhere to regulations on trading threatened species. Since rhesus monkeys are listed under CITES, their international trade is restricted.
According to the act to regulate and control international trade in endangered wild fauna and flora, a person who is found guilty faces a sentence of five to fifteen years in prison or fined NRs 5,00,000 to NRs 1 million or both
The national park and wildlife conservation act also lists the rhesus monkey as a protected species, restricting its export without government approval. However, the act does not outline any measures for managing protected animals that pose threats to people and agricultural production.