Sri Lanka monkey survey sparks skepticism & oddball ideas for deterring crop raiders

Sri Lanka monkey survey sparks skepticism & oddball ideas for deterring crop raiders

COLOMBO — As Sri Lanka grapples with severe agricultural losses caused by wildlife species ranging from primates to peafowl, in March, the government launched a nationwide, five-minute rapid visual census or a RVC, inviting citizens — farmers, students and officials in particular — to count monkeys, giant squirrels and peafowl simultaneously across the island. The count was described as the first attempt at a large-scale citizen-science effort i…