Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary Travel Guide - Free Web & App

Tacugama stands in the forested Western Area Peninsula, a landscape shaped by tropical climate, steep relief and long interaction between people and woodland. The peninsula’s forests survived close to the rapidly expanding capital because of their difficult terrain and environmental importance, although pressure from settlement, farming, fuelwood collection and other activities has repeatedly threatened them. This setting is central to understanding the sanctuary: it is not an isolated wildlife attraction, but part of a wider forest ecosystem whose survival is closely connected with the future of Freetown and its surrounding communities.

Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary was founded in 1988 by Bala Amarasekaran after he rescued an infant chimpanzee from the illegal wildlife trade. The sanctuary developed as a response to the capture, trafficking and abandonment of chimpanzees, which are protected wildlife in Sierra Leone. Rather than treating rescued animals as temporary exhibits, Tacugama established social groups and long-term care in a forest environment. Its work gradually expanded from individual rescue to public education, welfare, conservation awareness and advocacy for the protection of wild chimpanzees.

As Sierra Leone’s civil conflict and economic difficulties affected institutions across the country, wildlife protection faced serious challenges. Tacugama nevertheless became an increasingly visible national and international conservation organisation, caring for chimpanzees that could not safely return to the wild and promoting public understanding of their ecological and social importance. Its location near Freetown helped bring conservation education to schools, residents and international visitors, while the sanctuary’s operations highlighted the links between illegal wildlife trade, forest loss and the decline of wild chimpanzee populations.

In the modern era, Tacugama’s role has broadened beyond sanctuary management. Its work includes animal welfare, environmental education, support for chimpanzee conservation and participation in efforts to protect Sierra Leone’s remaining wild populations. The sanctuary also contributes to awareness of the country’s Western chimpanzee, a critically endangered subspecies whose range has contracted across West Africa. Tacugama’s history therefore reflects a wider shift in Sierra Leone from viewing wildlife primarily as a resource towards recognising forest animals and habitats as subjects of protection, scientific concern and national heritage.