Sierra Leone, the newest member of the ISA. Photo: ISA
For the past few months, I have been currently working and volunteering as a veterinarian at Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, located in Sierra Leone, Africa. The West African nation is still in recovery after years of war and the region’s recent Ebola crisis, but with some changes, tourism to this area is expected to make a comeback as the years pass.
Tacugama was founded and established in 1995 by Bala Amarasekaran. The sanctuary lies within the Western Area Peninsula National Park, near Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. The sanctuary itself covers 100 acres of the national park’s 17,688 acres, with a mission to enforce the laws of illegal trade and protect the wild chimpanzee population. They are also a rehabilitation center for orphaned, abandoned and or confiscated baby chimpanzees. Today, Tacugama currently houses around 70 chimpanzees, each having faced some sort of abandonment, abuse, or even losing parents who were killed for their bushmeat (chimpanzee meat) and victims of deforestation.
In the wild, the chimpanzee population in Western Africa is very small and Tacugama offers a second chance for these wonderful animals. Each chimpanzee undergoes different stages of rehabilitation, including the building of social skills, and their health and wellness are monitored on a daily basis. In time, they will each be reintroduced into the wild once rehabilitated.
As for tourists, the sanctuary is open to the general public for visitation with daily tours. There’s even an adoption program where you can adopt a baby chimp, as well as on-site accommodations for any visitors wanting to stay the night at Tacugama. Within a thirty to forty minute drive from the sanctuary, you can visit Freetown itself or make your way to the coastline, visiting places like Bureh Beach. And here is where you will find a small group known as the Bureh Beach Surf Club. The club was founded by Shane O’Conner, who works for UNICEF, and is now managed by a local named John Small, who happens to be one of the best surfers in the area. You can catch some of the best waves here during the rainy season (May-August), and if you happen to bring your board, consider spreading a little love by donating it to the organization.
While in Bureh, I met up with another great non-profit called Surf for Children. It’s a group of doctors from Italy who are building a clinic and training locals within the community. Doctor Danilo Buonsenso is one of the projects’ leaders and along with the rest of the staff, he’s teaching children how to surf. From the chimpanzees, to the local surf club, to a wonderful group helping and serving the local children, I really fell in love with Sierra Leone.
Editor’s Note: Follow the links to learn more about the Bureh Beach Surf Club, the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, and Surf 4 Children.
