Sri Lanka, Sept. 25 -- Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Namal Karunaratne, told Parliament today (26) that nearly 50% of the information provided by the public during the recent island-wide wildlife census was confirmed to be accurate.

The census, carried out on March 15, aimed to identify animal species that cause damage to food crops, study their populations, and recommend measures to mitigate the impact. It focused on species such as monkeys, toque macaques, peacocks, and giant squirrels.

According to the Deputy Minister, 50% of the data provided by the public regarding monkeys and toque macaques matched verified findings. Based on this, the committee overseeing the census decided to treat half of the public submissions ...