Tacugama

Innovation Centre and Botanic Gardens 🌱

The preparations for the construction of the Innovation Centre and Botanic Gardens at Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary are in full swing. This project is a partnership with the Sierra Leone Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Tourism & Cultural Affairs , , and SLEDIP.

The Innovation Centre will house a rooftop bar/café, large screening room to feature films and documentaries as well as lectures, live storytelling and theatre, interactive learning space to display environmental threats and impacts (including the contributing factors leading to Sierra Leone’s 2017 landslide), library, multi-media training facilities, and permanent exhibition hall.

Not only would the Innovation Centre create new jobs, strengthen the country’s tourism sector, bolster environmental education, and capacity building, but will also encourage Sierra Leoneans to join Tacugama’s conservation efforts across several platforms, including arts, technology, and science.

As for the Botanic Gardens, once completed – it will become the country’s first commercial venture of its kind. Visitors will be able to view a wide range of species, including - medicinal plants and their traditional uses in local communities, plant species exclusive to Sierra Leone.
We’re keen to partner with businesses, academic institutions, leading public and non-profit orgs from around the world to create networks of expertise, through which innovative research, services and systems can be developed to fight climate change.

Climate change affects everyone. So naturally, we feel that only by rallying everyone together under a collective vision, with ideas, alternative services, additional training, and new job opportunities that we can generate enough momentum to tackle climate change.

Do you remember Tsotsi?

She arrived in a terrible state in September 2023. Her body was full of pellets, she had a fractured leg, and had no hair on her little body.

We named her Tsotsi in honor of a very special chimpanzee from our friends at Monarto Safari Park in , who passed away earlier that year.

This week, Tsotsi (look at her now! 🙌) and her new friends were introduced to an outdoor enclosure for the first time!

Surrogate moms Mama P. and Mary stayed in the enclosure with them to reassure them, as they found it quite exciting.

Coincidentally, Monarto Safari Park installed some amazing signs in their zoo this week to honor ‘their’ Tsotsi and raise awareness for ‘our Tsotsi’ and our work at Tacugama.

We are so happy to have Tsotsi’s legacy here in Tacugama and to have this beautiful connection with Monarto Safari Park 💚

Mark your calendar for a very exciting Art & Music Night at

Saturday July 27 starting at 6 pm. We hope to see you there 🙌

🇸🇱

Did you know in the past year alone we have almost planted over 90,000 trees? 🌳 🌳 🌳

Here is our outreach team with community members from buffer communities in the Loma Mountains National Park who are committed to reforestation initiatives!

Thank you to .s.forestservice for their support in this initiative!

Janet's story is one of hope and resilience. Today, her story was published in People Magazine | PEOPLE.com. We are very grateful for this.

Read about her rescue, what it takes to rehabilitate an orphaned , how Janet is doing now in our sanctuary and how you can support us.

https://people.com/baby-chimp-thriving-after-rescue-from-neglect-exclusive-8678248

Orphaned Chimp Found Tied to a House in a 'Very Bad State' Is Thriving 1 Year After Her Rescue (Exclusive) Janet the young chimpanzee is celebrating over a year of happiness and healing at Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone; the sanctuary rescued her from a home where the primate was neglected and kept as pet.

We are so grateful! Thank you Parco Natura Viva!

🗓 Sabato 20 luglio ti aspettiamo al Parco Natura Viva per un evento esclusivo dedicato agli SCIMPANZÉ. 🐵
Vieni a conoscere il lavoro del nostro staff scientifico per la salvaguardia di questa specie minacciata di estinzione 🆘

🙏🏽 I fondi raccolti durante la serata andranno a sostegno del progetto Tacugama.

👉🏽 Iscriviti online per partecipare: www.parconaturaviva.it/una-serata-con-gli-scimpanze 🔗

📸 Michele Azzetti

This week we premiered the first 2 episodes of our first ever Tacugama drama TV series written & directed by Gemma Bonfiglioli at the U.S. Embassy Freetown, Sierra Leone about chimpanzee trafficking and the consequences of the wildlife act law in Sierra Leone.

We were honoured that US ambassador Bryan Hunt made an opening statement in support of this project, followed by Tacugama program director Bala Amarasekeran. We were graced by an audience composed of representatives from conservation and government organizations like the Ministry of Tourism & Cultural Affairs Sierra Leone Tourism the Forestry Division and the National Protected Parks Authority, development organizations like World Food Programme and World Hope International and various media companies like AYV News SLBC TV and Capital Radio 104.9 FM

After the screening, we had a lively Q&A session with the cast & crew which opened up discussions on the importance of storytelling as a means of shifting perspectives when it comes to environmental mindsets in the country. Through stories, we aim to shift culture and encourage the respect of wildlife and wildlife laws.

Thank you to support from the U.S. Department of State: Bureau of Intl Narcotics & Law Enforcement (INL) and PASA Primates: Pan African Sanctuary Alliance for making this series possible and to all those involved in its production. And thank you to the US Embassy for hosting our first premier! More Life!

From the significant move of the group adolescent chimps to a forest enclosure (including Mortes!), providing fresh water to residents of a remote village, the construction of three new schools, the making of our first Tacugama series, collecting data of wild chimps and integrating many toddlers into groups with adult chimpanzees, Tacugama is so much more than a sanctuary!

This Sunday we will send out our quarterly report. Do you want to stay informed about the rescued chimpanzees and our conservation and education projects across the country?

Sign up today on the bottom of our home page!
➡️ https://www.tacugama.com/

Every time a chimp lands in a sanctuary, likely 8 to 10 will have died in the wild. The unique effort by one sanctuary in Sierra Leone hopes to turn this statistic around.

What Happened When a Grassroots Group Fought to Save Chimpanzees NORTH STARS: Wildlife Ecosystems Community Support Heritage Value "The story of Tacugama is one of real hope in a country that usually only gets negative press." Sierra Leone is losing its

Our project in Kenema 🙌

Are you ready for a brand-new week? We are 🙌💪

🌟 Join us on July 20th for an unforgettable Zumba extravaganza at Tacugama! 🎉

Let’s dance our hearts out and groove to the rhythm of positivity and unity. 🎶 Get ready to shake off the stress, embrace the joy, and celebrate chimps through the universal language of dance. 💃🕺

Don’t miss this chance to make memories, forge friendships, and support a great cause. Together, we can move mountains and create waves of happiness! See you there! 🌍

Please call +232 31 777777
[email protected]

Limited places! BOOK NOW!
All profits contribute to the daily care of the 120 orphan Chimpanzees at the sanctuary and to Tacugama conservation initiatives in Sierra Leone.

Traditional dance ceremony in Mansonia village, one of our partner communities in the Loma Mountains National Park! There are so many pockets of culture to discover in Sierra Leone!

Photos by

Join Tacugama’s dynamic team! We are currently seeking an Operations Manager to oversee the daily operations of our sanctuary.

For further details, please follow the link in our BIO on IG or go to:
➡️ https://www.tacugama.com/jobs/

Photos of rescued chimps at Tacugama were all over the news this month in the UK!

The photos were taken by our friend and wildlife photographer Renato Granieri Photography and published in Daily Star, The Sun, The Times, Daily Express, and The Mirror 🙌

Thank you Renato 🙏💚

Sierra Leone has lost 35% of its forest cover in the past 25 years due to deforestation. Its chimpanzee population has also been decimated and is 10 times smaller now than in the 1970s. The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary is fighting to save the species.

This report was broadcasted on France24.

Sierra Leone's chimpanzees have lost a third of their habitat in the last 25 years Sierra Leone's chimpanzees have lost a third of their habitat in the last 25 years Issued on: 22/06/2024 - 13:07Modified: 22/06/2024 - 13:13 02:30 To display this content from , you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Video by: Sam BRADPIECE Sierra Leone has lost 35% of its....

A Little Museum with a Huge Goal!

, a long-term supporter of Tacugama, is an educational time machine in Hong Kong dedicated to Peace, Humanity, and Respect.

It guides visitors from the dawn of life to current social and environmental challenges, helping them understand the past to build a peaceful and sustainable future. This small museum has a big mission, supporting humanitarian, environmental, and cultural projects worldwide.

Action is central at The Little Museum of the World, with hundreds of significant artifacts telling the story of our journey through time. Visitors can experience wonders like holding a piece of the Moon, petting a real mammoth’s skin, and feeling the weight of a slave bracelet.

Support the museum from anywhere in the world by purchasing a captivating 3D tour, featuring 120 meaningful objects and hours of discovery!
➡️ https://littlemuseumoftheworld.com/product/virtual-tour-ticket/

More information about the museum:
https://littlemuseumoftheworld.com/

Mac’s Monday Morning Face.

Come join us for our Forest hiking and lunch!
Saturday on the 6th/7/2024 🌱

Embracing the rainy season with a refreshing hike through lush green forests and vibrant wildflowers. Nature’s beauty shines even brighter in the rain.”
The hiking includes a very nice African lunch that will win your heart for African food* .

If you can’t make it for the hiking, kindly share our flyer with your family and friends on Saturday*
Kindly bring us a very good appetite and a hiking boot.*
Please call *+232 31 777777*
*[email protected]*

Limited places! BOOK NOW!

All profits contribute to the daily care of the 120 rescued at the sanctuary and to Tacugama conservation initiatives in Sierra Leone.

Sing along 🎵

Salone Is Our Home Too - Tacugama Song Music Video Tacugama Song 'Salone Is Our Home Too' Music Video created by our talented Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary staff especially for World Chimpanzee Day, to raise ...

There is so much wildlife to discover around Tacugama! Come and visit us!

Photos by

Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing dads out there! Enjoy your special day! 🎉💙

You don’t see them very often in our posts, but we also have some amazing surrogate dad’s at Tacugama, like David!

Today we celebrate the rescue anniversary of Susan 🙌

Susan, along with another chimp, was bought from a dealer in Makeni by an expat working for an NGO in Freetown. The expat brought Susan to Tacugama in June 2002 because the other chimp had died and he was afraid Susan might die as well. He had kept Susan and the other chimp for two months, but he didn’t know they were babies and needed milk, so he only fed them fruit.

When we received Susan, she was very thin and her coat had bald spots and discoloration, possibly due to malnutrition. Luckily, she had a very strong personality and a good appetite, so she recovered rapidly at Tacugama💚

In 2005, Susan broke her left upper arm. She was taken to town for an X-ray (back then, we didn’t have a facility on-site) and our vet put a cast on her arm. In 20 days, she removed the cast herself and her arm healed without any problems.

Susan grew up with Chota and Jazzy, two alpha males in her group, but she always stood up for Chota. One day when Chota and Jazzy fought, Susan intervened and got hurt, while Chota remained unscathed. Sieh, one of our experienced care staff who has known them since they were very young, says that Susan can be very fierce but is also protective of her childhood friend Chota because of his disabilities.

Happy rescue day Susan💕

🧠 🌍 "If we cannot do the right thing toward this species, then what's point in calling ourselves intelligent? -Bala Amarasekaran, Talking Apes Podcast, Season 1

Bala Amarasekaran is the founder and director of Tacugama and is the driving force behind Sierra Leone's national animal movement and the effort to create a conservation movement unlike any in West Africa.

Listen to this throwback episode ▶️ https://talkingapes.org/posts/bala/

Photo ©GEllis/GLOBIO