Researchers say using scientific methods to control animal populations is acceptable when their numbers increase.
It is also crucial to use scientific methods to regulate animal breeding when its existence is established and to facilitate it when the population reduces.
This scientific perspective is in response to objections raised by environmentalists concerning animal breeding control.
The improved ‘loop’
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Peradeniya University has recently launched a program to tackle the growing Rillow population, which is causing problems for agriculture and local communities.
The program involves implementing measures to control the reproduction of these animals, including the use of ‘loops’ on female monkeys. This consists of adapting the same contraceptive technique used by women and including it in the female monkey’s reproductive system.
Rillow population control plans fail
Considerations such as low cost, convenience, and the ability to release animals into the environment have been considered when developing a method to control the Rillow population.
This method is easy for any veterinarian on the island to follow. Professor Ashoka Dangolla from Peradeniya University believes it will be a successful solution to control the Rillow population.
According to research, the Rillow has been causing crop damage, and previous attempts to control the situation by distributing air rifles to the people and taking Rillow to other areas have yet to yield proper results.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s attempt to give 100,000,000 Rillow to China has also been suspended by an appeal court order. The professor stated that all of these issues prompted implementing the appropriate project.
The ‘loop’ is placed through the vagina
Researchers have successfully developed a method to prevent pregnancy in female Rillow and monkeys by inserting a loop through their vaginal canal.
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Peradeniya University has created a new, smaller loop for this purpose, and the research team has successfully implanted it in a female’s uterus.
Professor Dangolla reports that a one-and-a-half-year-old female was used for the test, and an X-ray after the surgery confirmed that the loop was successfully implanted.
While IUDs are commonly used by women as a form of birth control, a normal-sized loop was previously used to control the Rillow population, but it did not produce the desired results. Through further research, a smaller loop was developed and has proven to be successful so far.
Peradeniya University research
The Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Peradeniya Teaching Hospital has supported the purpose at hand.
Professor Dangolla has stated that the implanting loop can be pushed out due to frequent contractions of the female Rillow uterus and excessive secretions. However, he is confident that the new loop, designed in a smaller size, will not be pushed out.
Female Rillow gives birth to 10-15 cubs
It takes around 30 minutes to anaesthetise an animal to place the loop. The surgery takes about half an hour and is a simple yet crucial method that can effectively control the Rillow population in Sri Lanka.
A female Rillow can give birth to 10-15 cubs over a lifespan of about 20 years. Therefore, maintaining the Rillow population has become necessary, especially as the country’s food yield has decreased significantly
. As such, it has become a significant concern for both farmers and the country as a whole.
20% of crops are lost due to animal damage
Experiments revealed that more than 20% of Sri Lanka’s fruit and vegetable production is lost due to the damage caused by wild animals. The animals that cause the most damage are Rillow and monkeys.
In light of this problem, suggestions are being made to the government and other responsible institutions that a systematic program is necessary to control the situation.
The people of Sri Lanka are organising protests and presenting this demand to the government very strongly.
Professor Dangolla thinks that institutions such as universities are responsible for introducing a scientific program to address this issue, as it is a pressing need of the country.
A scientific Method to control Rillow population
According to a statement, a new method has been introduced to swiftly place a noose on an animal and free it back into the wild in about an hour.
This method is much simpler than subjecting the animals to sterilisation surgery. Moreover, animals undergoing sterilisation surgery require care for at least three days, which is challenging.
The process of sterilisation surgery is also quite expensive. Therefore, implementing the noose method is an important innovation, and it will become an easy and efficient process, according to Professor Ashoka Dangolla of Peradeniya University.
