Chimps

Sierra Leone is home to a dwindling number of wild animals, including the chimpanzee. Chimp populations face serious decline in the country for a variety of reasons: habitat loss, being hunted for bush meat, being captured for pets. In the hills right above Freetown, a local couple established Tacugama Chimp Sanctuary as a haven for the chimps they found kept as pets throughout the area. The program started with just a handful of young chimps and now has around one hundred at the center.

I heard a bit about the challenges of trying to keep their chimps alive and safe during the civil war, about a chimp escape a few years back, and about the center running out of resources to care for any more chimps that might come their way.

It was really neat to see the chimps up close and learn about the great things they do there. (There was even a sign with instructions on how to "speak" chimp.) Just sitting and watching them was the best part. At the same time it was tough to know the limits to what the center could do. I shot a video of the chimps snacking but it's too big to share given my internet connection. But a search might provide something similar.