The issue of crop damage and monkeys continues to remain a topic of discussion, with a group of veterinarians now trying to introduce contraceptives to monkeys.
Peradeniya University Veterinary Clinical Science Department Prof. Ashoka Dangolla had reportedly stated that the Peradeniya University Veterinary Department and the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital were in the process of introducing an intrauterine device (IUD), also known as ‘loop contraceptives,’ to prevent pregnancies in monkeys.
An IUD is a piece of T-shaped plastic that is placed inside the uterus to prevent pregnancy.
According to Prof. Dangolla, an experiment is currently underway to figure out the possibilities of inserting an IUD into female monkeys. “We are in the process of experimenting with the size of the womb and the cervix of monkeys to insert the IUDs,” he had told the media.
“The loop that is currently used for women is a bit too large to use for monkeys. Therefore, it has been decided to appoint two teams of doctors from the Veterinary Department and Gynecology Unit to find out a possible technique to insert the IUDs into monkeys,” he had added.
In the event the programme is successful, monkeys will be anaesthetised and the IUD will be inserted instead of conducting surgeries on them.
