Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

MORE THAN A SANCTUARY

With over 40 nature conservation projects in action, we're tirelessly working to protect #chimpanzees. Even as we rescue and rehabilitate young orphans like Chicha, Pitaya, and Skippy, more babies keep arriving at our doorstep at #Tacugama - some barely clinging to life and all deeply traumatized by the loss of their families. 

In just one year, from July 2022 to July 2023, we've received ten new babies into our care. Today, we care for 118 rescued chimpanzees.

Here are the stories of three of our latest rescues. Against all odds, they survived, and with your help we can give them a future, so join us!

Chicha's Story

Chicha arrived in Tacugama in November 2022. She was confiscated from a small village in Loma Mountains National Park after we got an alarming call from people that they had seen a very small chimp being held as a pet. It took our rangers more than two days to locate her, and when they found her, she was in a terrible state. 

We feared for her life because we had not seen a baby so malnourished, dehydrated, and traumatized in a long time. But Chicha made it, and in just two months, she became one of the most cheerful orphans in the sanctuary.

Pitaya’s Story

In April 2023, we rescued a little boy from a village in the Loma Mountains. The rescue was difficult because the ‘owner’ did not want to hand the baby over. Together with an NPAA officer, our rescue team confiscated the chimp. He was wholly hydrated and had severe skin infections.

It was only the second day that he started to take in little bits of fluids through a syringe. We named him Pitaya after the village he was rescued from. 

Now Pitaya is much better with all the support of our care staff, and he is learning all his social skills besides Skippy.

Skippy’s sto.ry

In May 2023, a tiny girl was brought to the sanctuary by a man who told us he had kept her for a week and then realized his house was not suitable for her. 

She was very underweight and had infected wounds on her legs caused by ropes she was tight too. Her name is Skippy. 

Skippy is a very energetic and very smart chimpanzee, and now she is sharing her place with Pitaya.

Chicha, Pitaya, and Skippy are now introduced to other babies at Tacugama, and here they will get a second chance in life.

We are the sole refuge and holistic nature conservation organization in Sierra Leone. Together with local communities, we champion conservation education, forest protection, and sustainable livelihoods. By supporting Tacugama, you make an impact across our vital program areas:

🐵 Chimpanzee Rescue & Rehabilitation

🌳 Chimpanzee Conservation

📚 Conservation Education & Community Engagement

Your donation today can help us to make a difference!

Open donation – because every penny counts 

Together, we can secure a thriving future for these magnificent creatures and their forest homes. Support Tacugama today and be a part of our extraordinary conservation journey.🌿🌍💚

You can start your #fundraiser!

Become a true Chimp Champion and start your #fundraiser this Giving Day for Apes!

Get inspired by our beautiful but also heartbreaking film of #Bruno, the most famous chimp of Sierra Leone , and the inspiration Tacugama was founded. 

And the most important thing is, we truly believe that all our outreach efforts are playing a very important role to KEEP THE WILDS IN THE WILD. 

Enjoy this video from our Camera trap:

Become an Embassador for this amazing cause

Please send us an email for more info and footage to get started. We are very excited to work with you to make this the best Giving Day ever.

EMAIL US

info@tacugama.com

Let's finish with a word that we love, UBUNTU which means,

 I am because we are" also "I am because you are"