Chimpanzee Sanctuary Faces Existential Threat From Illegal Land Grab

chimpanzee sanctuary faces existential threat from illegal land grab because the buzz of Freetown  Gives  way of hunting and violet separation from their families in the world.

 

 

 

 

There is a distinct moment when the tranquillity of the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary envelops our car as we drive higher up the mountain.

The buzz of Freetown gives way to the hushed calm of this pocket of pristine rainforest reserved for critically endangered western chimpanzees rescued from across Sierra Leone.

The quiet is necessary. These bright primates – closest related to humans in the animal kingdom – are easily disturbed and the ones living in Tacugama are particularly sensitive.

The more than 120 chimpanzees brought here are traumatised survivors of mistreatment, hunting and violent separation from their families in the wild.

They are now facing another existential threat. Illegal encroachment is eating away at the edges of the conservation area.

Despite wildlife laws, forest has been cleared to make way for houses being constructed closer and closer to chimp enclosures.

Then we had presidential intervention say that some of this encroachment will be stopped

It started very well for the first month then everything stopped again and we are back at square one. So, we are very tired and very stressed.”

the government to donate land and partner with him to create a sanctuary for the protection of the abused orphaned chimps he was finding across Freetown.

Today, land in the Western Area Forest Reserve is being grabbed right under the government’s nose.

“The government has been very good in terms of helping us in every way – however we expect the leadership to be more firm

They all want to help. But when it comes to action it looks like some of the departments that have the mandate to institute certain

Sanctuary closes its doors to focus on conservation, rehabilitation and research

. But in a stand against the fast-approaching illegal encroachment, the sanctuary has closed its doors to visitors to focus on conservation

They are used to us and some visitors but they will start to see strangers come and that is where the problems start.

Some of our agents seem to have been complicit in allocating and giving people land in places they are not supposed to stay.

In 2019, the government designated the western chimpanzee as the national animal and national symbol for tourism.

The image of a chimp is now etched in Sierra Leonean passport ship team hope will entrench a love and respect for chimps that will curb the need for intervention.

But chimpanzees are still being hunted as bushmeat for food across Sierra Leone and baby chimps are being torn from their families to be kept as illegal pets

Baby Asana is frail with thinning hair and is being nursed back to health by his chimp mum, Mama P, when we meet him.

He was rescued after an informant sent a video of Asana wearing human clothes and being mistreated as an illegal pet in Bo, Sierra Leone’s second largest city.

And with the sanctuary closed, much-needed public advocacy work will take a hard hit.

Now, we are at a situation where we are closed indefinitely but what if this becomes something wherein we can never open the sanctuary again for people to visit

Compiled by

World Travel News, Gorilla Trekking Uganda and Gorilla Trekking Rwanda