Assessing Public Perceptions toward Toque Macaques in Kuliyapitiya Divisional Secretariat to Mitigate the Human-Macaque Interactions in Sri Lanka

Age, gender, ethnicity, education level, political stance, the quantity of landholding, extent of habitation, and religion affect attitudes toward wildlife which reveal geographical variations. Nonetheless, Sri Lankans’ cultural traditions and religious beliefs play a significant role when determining impressions and attitudes toward macaques. The people’s attitudes, behavior, and views toward wildlife and the elements that affect these perceptions are crucial for conservation efforts and the management of human-wildlife conflict since social and environmental circumstances are intimately and inexorably intertwined. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to identify the people’s attitudes toward the macaques in the study area to implement successful mitigation strategies to control the human-primate conflict. Deegalla, Kabalewa, and Elathawa Grama Niladari divisions in the Kuliyapitiya divisional Secretariat of the North Western Province of the country were selected as study sites. The mixed methods approach was employed to collect data to comprehend the nature of sentiments people have about macaques and interviews were conducted between July 2020 and August 2021. Direct interviews were conducted for 635 randomly selected villagers and 240 farmers. The interaction between the informants and the primates involves many complexities and ambiguities. While interviewees are pleased to see macaques and other wild creatures in their outdoors or neighborhood, they do not want them to be seen near or in their homes, gardens, and commercially or domestically grown farms. Two of the major concerns for the interviewees were the large macaque population and the lack of control over their population. The degree of interaction between humans and macaques determined the attitude toward each species of primates. Owing to crop and property destruction, as well as the heavy economic loss incurred inculcated negative attitude toward macaques. It can be concluded that a holistic approach is needed to resolve the human-primate conflict in Sri Lanka, incorporating public perception toward primates.