Posted by Sierra Leone
Tacugama, a chimpanzee sanctuary located in Western Area, Sierra Leone, has rescued over 120 endangered Western chimpanzees in the last 30 years. It was founded by Bala Amarasekaran and his wife Shameela. The chimpanzee recently became the national animal of Sierra Leone thanks to the work of Tacugama.
Many rescued baby chimpanzees have been taken from their mothers who have been shot for bush meat or specifically captured for the wildlife trade. The babies are then sold and used as entertainment. Some come to Tacugama wounded, with shot pellets still in their bodies or have injuries from ropes and chains. The babies are often malnourished. Many also have serious physical and mental ailments.
The rehabilitation process for each chimpanzee is different depending on their mental and physical injuries. After initial quarantine there are four more stages of rehabilitation. When the chimps are well enough they will be put into a group with others their own age. This is the nursery group. Eventually they will finally join a main group and interact with chimpanzees of all ages. They partake in forest school, learning all the tricks of a normal chimpanzee including rooting for termites, climbing, playing, searching out all kinds of enrichments and eating healthy food.
Tacugama has an adoption program. I have adopted Fifo and Chicha. The cost is $60/year. Their website gives all the information about adoption and choosing a chimpanzee.
You can visit Tacugama and learn about chimpanzee rehabilitation or stay in one of their seven ecolodges on site.
Community education outreach and research is another very important part of Tacugamaโs mission.
If you would like to help or find out more information, Tacugamaโs website is http://www.tacugama.com.
