People outside Ella backpacker bars asking for donations for orphaned monkeys
7 Answers from travellers
This is 100% a scam and illegal wildlife poaching. They kill the mothers to take the babies to extort money from drunk tourists. Do not give them a single rupee. Report them to the tourist police immediately.
I saw this! The monkey looked incredibly stressed by the loud music from the bars.
There are no official "roadside" sanctuaries. Real wildlife rehabilitation centers in Sri Lanka do not parade animals outside nightclubs.
A bouncer at Cafe Chill chased one of these scammers away while we were there.
It breaks my heart, but paying them just ensures they will go steal another baby from the jungle.
If you have a photo of the person, show it to the nearest police post. We are actively trying to shut this down.
The worst part is tourists taking selfies with the chained monkey before giving money. It just promotes the cruelty.
Scam Watch: ella
People outside stations offer to "help" buy tickets but charge large markups. They may buy cheap third-class tickets and sell as more expensive classes.
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