A committee of experts, including officials from the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), university professors, and researchers, will analyse the findings of the country’s first-ever nationwide animal census, which took place yesterday (15).

Agriculture Ministry Secretary D.P. Wickremasinghe told The Sunday Morning that any policy decisions would be made after the committee had reviewed the statistics.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Namal Karunaratne explained that while the census process had been completed, compiling the collected information into a comprehensive report was a complex task. 

Data will need to be gathered from individual households, village administrative divisions, and various regional offices. 

These records must be consolidated into a single document, which will then go through multiple administrative levels before reaching the authorities in Colombo for final review and verification.

Once this process is completed, a committee will be convened to refine the data and reach a consensus before the findings are released to the public. 

However, Karunaratne assured that the results would be shared as soon as possible, without unnecessary delays.

The nationwide animal census aims to assess the impact of wildlife, such as monkeys, giant squirrels, and peacocks, on agricultural activities, particularly the damage to crops. 

The data collected will help authorities develop strategies to reduce agricultural losses caused by these animals.

Residents were given a five-minute window, from 8 a.m. to 8.05 a.m., to record the number of these animals on their properties using a designated form.