The sanctuary was established in 1995 with initial seed funding from European Union to enforce the wildlife laws and re-home and rehabilitate captured abandoned and orphaned chimpanzees. Our primary aim is to rescue and rehabilitate chimpanzees integrate them into a large family and then release them back into the wild. However with the alarming rate of deforestation and increase in population in the western peninsula releasing the chimps into the wild is getting increasingly difficult. With this in mind our focus is increasing to a number of social and environmental initiatives working with and supporting local and national communities so that we do not receive orphaned chimps. The sanctuary was established in 1995 with initial seed funding from European Union to enforce the wildlife laws and re-home and rehabilitate captured, abandoned and orphaned chimpanzees. We continue to grow in size and currently have over 100 chimpanzees under our care. Unfortunately we continue to receive rescued chimps, sadly confirming that wild populations continue to be threatened by human activity and much more work is needed to secure their future in Sierra Leone. However, there is still hope, thanks to the tireless work of the staff and with the aid of local communities we have essentially eradicated the chimpanzee pet trade in Freetown. The origins of Tacugama started as far back as 1985 when Bala Amarasekaran and his wife, Sharmila, were travelling through a village 150 miles from Freetown. There they came across a weak baby chimpanzee tied to a tree in need of medical help. For the complete story, please click hereīefore long, they had 7 rescued chimpanzees in their house and they needed to establish a permanent solution for their growing family.īala and Sharmila bought the chimpanzee for $20 and named him Bruno. Once at the sanctuary, the rescued chimpanzees are gradually reacquainted with their natural surroundings and are integrated into surrogate family groups so they can start to live a more normal life. Our aim is that they re-acquire the skills that they will need to thrive in the wild once a suitable release site can be identified.įrom the outset, Tacugama has been a challenging and exciting project. The sanctuary operated through the barbaric Sierra Leone civil war thanks to heroic work from our dedicated staff. Townsend, Caroline Asiimwe, and Pawel Fedurek here.The legend of Bruno started here and we were home to Pinkie, the only recorded albino chimpanzee in the world. ![]() Akankwasa, Klaus Zuberbühler, Catherine Hobaiter, Catherine Crockford, Simon W. Read the paper by Maël Leroux, Gideon Monday, Bosco Chandia, John W. The infant had been amputated, its ears and several fingers bitten off. Perhaps the adults found the “prey” that smelled and looked like a chimpanzee intriguing.Īutopsy of the dead infant confirmed that the infant died of head injuries caused by the bite of a female adult chimpanzee. But, also, the albino chimp’s coloration is similar to that of colobus monkey infants (that chimps in the community often prey on). ![]() The way most adults approached the dead infant (with caution and curiosity) seems to support this suggestion. Due its appearance, the adults may have perceived the infant as an unusual individual or object. Researchers propose two possible reasons for the unusual reactions. ![]() “the magnitude of the reaction some of the community members exhibited towards the infant with albinism makes it likely that the infant was not considered as a typical chimpanzee” However some adults reacted calmly towards the infant. Most adults reacted fearfully on seeing the infant, making alarm calls that are normally associated with sightings of snakes, bush pigs, or unfamiliar humans. Subsequently, the infant’s mother was chased off, and the albino fatally bitten by several adults in the community.Īccording to the researchers, although infanticide is not uncommon within this chimpanzee community, the reactions of the adults towards the infant was unusual. ![]() Four days after first sighting, the infant was seen being carried by the Sonso community’s alpha male. Researchers estimated that the infant was no older than 19 days at first sighting. The infant had total albinism characterized by white hair, no pigmentation in skin or eyes. Although chimpanzees with albinism have existed in captivity, none have until now been seen in the wild. According to a United Nations report, more than 3,000 great apes disappeared from the forests of Africa and Asia on average each year from 2005 to 2011. The infant was seen with its mother in a chimpanzee community of the Budongo forest Reserve in Uganda. DRC is home to three of the most valuable specieschimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos. Recently, a group of researchers reported the first ever sighting of an albino chimpanzee in the wild.
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