By: Joseph G. Bangali – Senior Staff Writer
The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary located on the Sugar Loaf Mountains in the Western Area of Peninsula is the only Chimpanzee sanctuary in Sierra Leone and West Africa. However, the rapid deforestation of this very plush and once beautiful scenery of green vegetation is now ringing alarm bells among environmentalists both locally and internationally. The situation has gotten so bad that in a recent interview, the founder and owner of the Sanctuary Bala Amarasekaram expressed his frustration at the lack of government will to curb this menace and threaten to close the sanctuary if the authorities continue to ignore their pleas for intervention.
After 26years of existence, the Government of Sierra Leone recently declared the Chimpanzee as a National Animal in a bid to prevent these iconic animals from extinction. However, the issue of deforestation is not being properly addressed as human activities continue to deplete the cover of this once very lush forest rich in animal and bird species, some of which are very rare. In a recent visit to the Sanctuary with his family His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio assured that, he will do everything in his power to prevent the extinction of these animals and also protect their environment.
According to the BBC Stringer in Sierra Leone who paid a recent visit, he reported that the Sanctuary was in a race against extinction and that these beautiful primates do not stand a chance of survival as their forest cover is rapidly disappearing. It is reported that since he took up the task of rescuing Sierra Leone’s chimpanzee population with the discovery of Bruno, their natural habitat has been depleted by 25% and continues to be destroyed. Similarly, Al Jazeera also joined the fray to draw the attention to what is now being referred to as endangered species and further affirmed that even though attempts are now being made to reforest the mountain range, this action may be a little bit too late.
The Tacugama Sanctuary has also been working closely with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture to promote the tourism potentials of this very unique facility and has been agitating for the protection of these endangered primates. We therefore urge the government of Sierra Leone and its partners to prioritize the safety and well being of these beautiful primates.