Sierra Leone chimp refuge shuts doors in protest of rampant deforestation

The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, West Africa’s largest refuge for rescued primates, has remained closed to tourists for over two months as its founder protests the intensification of deforestation near the protected forest in Sierra Leone.

Bala Amarasekaran, who established the sanctuary in 1995, says land seizures and illegal logging are encroaching dangerously close to the site, which houses over 100 orphaned chimpanzees.

“A few months back, we could see the land grabbing and the encroachment coming closer to the sanctuary,” Amarasekaran said. “(Deforestation) is really threatening the sanctuary's existence, because it's too dangerous when people come close to a wildlife preserve like this.”

Sierra Leone lost around 2.17 million hectares of forest cover between 2001 and 2024—approximately 39% of its tree cover in 2000—according to Global Forest Watch. 

The Western Area Peninsula, where both the capital Freetown and Tacugama are located, lost over 10,000 hectares in the same period.

“Look at that place where I'm pointing at. If you look at the left hand side, you'll see a thick forest, and that has been standing there since the time I've been here, over 30 years,” said Amarasekaran. “Now, this other area, you can begin to see just the single strands of trees that shows that they [deforesters] have breached. The green belt is further and they have already breached, they have gone beyond the green belt and they are approaching the Takirama dam.”

Amarasekaran added that deforestation is being driven primarily by land grabbing for development, rather than by traditional uses like charcoal production. 

“Charcoal, firewood, cutting down trees, it's quick money. You just take an axe, that's the only investment. It’s one axe, two people, you go into the forest, the forest is free for you... But inside Western area peninsula, I think the major deforestation is caused by greed. It is land grabbing, period.”

The sanctuary, normally open to eco-tourists and volunteers, closed its doors in May due to safety concerns. 

“I cannot take the risk to keep the sanctuary open for public because there are dangers associated with it,” Amarasekaran said. 

“Because suppose in the last year they put fire very close to the chimpanzee holding facility... if the fire started coming in last year some of the chimps were trying to escape and if they do there is going to be definitely a tragedy... chimps might get killed by people or chimps can also attack people so this is a place you don't tamper with.”

In 2017, a deadly mudslide on nearby Sugarloaf Mountain killed an estimated 1,000 people. 

A 2019 study by the Geological Society of London linked the disaster to deforestation, heavy rainfall, and unregulated development, noting that tree loss had reduced the soil’s ability to absorb water and maintain its structure.

Amarasekaran said President Julius Maada Bio responded to his concerns by dispatching a task force to demolish some encroachments three months ago. But he criticised the lack of follow-up. 

Information Minister Chernor Bah acknowledged the seriousness of the situation. 

“It's a serious problem, it's an existential problem,” he said. 

“We regret that the Tacugama authorities have taken the step that they have taken to shut down here, but it's one that we understand and we share the outrage in the invasion by some of our compatriots into those lands in a way that's threatening all of us.”

“This requires collaboration across government,” Bah added. “But this also requires, frankly, civic engagement, citizens' awareness, climate awareness about what this is, why it's important, how we must protect the water resources that are there.”

For now, Tacugama’s chimpanzees remain under the care of the sanctuary staff, while its founder awaits decisive and sustained government action.

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