The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone has reopened after a five-month protest closure aimed at stopping rapid deforestation and illegal land-grabbing near its borders. The sanctuary shut from May 26 to November 1 and reopened after the government pledged action. Tacugama cares for more than 120 primates, rehabilitates orphaned chimps under five, and sits about 15 km from Freetown inside the Western Area Peninsula National Park, where roughly 5,600 of 18,000 hectares have been lost or badly damaged since 2012.
Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary Reopens After Five-Month Protest Over Deforestation
The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone has reopened after a five-month protest closure aimed at stopping rapid deforestation and illegal land-grabbing near its borders. The sanctuary shut from May 26 to November 1 and reopened after the government pledged action. Tacugama cares for more than 120 primates, rehabilitates orphaned chimps under five, and sits about 15 km from Freetown inside the Western Area Peninsula National Park, where roughly 5,600 of 18,000 hectares have been lost or badly damaged since 2012.
02:21, 04.11.2025Environment
Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary Reopens After Five-Month Closure to Protest Deforestation
The world-renowned Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone has reopened to visitors after a five-month closure intended to draw attention to accelerating deforestation near its borders, the reserve told AFP. The sanctuary closed its gates from May 26 to November 1 to pressure the government into taking concrete action to protect its surrounding forest.
A stand for protection:
"Our closure was never a choice. It was an act of protection and a stand against illegal land-grabbing that posed a serious threat to Tacugama," said Bala Amarasekaran, the sanctuary's founder and director, in comments to AFP.
Tacugama's management says the sanctuary reopened only after the Sierra Leone government pledged to address the threats facing the reserve. The closure came at a cost: staff uncertainty, lost revenue for ecotourism, and concern for the sanctuary's long-term ability to care for the primates.
Conservation and care
Spread across dozens of hectares of protected tropical rainforest, Tacugama is home to the critically endangered Western chimpanzee, a species imperiled by habitat loss and poaching for bushmeat. The sanctuary cares for more than 120 primates and specializes in rehabilitating orphaned chimpanzees under five years old, teaching them the skills needed to survive.
Located about 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the capital, Freetown, Tacugama sits within the Western Area Peninsula National Park. Of the park's roughly 18,000 hectares (44,000 acres) of forest, around 5,600 hectares have been lost or severely damaged since 2012.
History of resilience
Tacugama has a history of resilience: it survived attacks and pillaging during Sierra Leone's civil war (1991–2002) and was forced to close for a year during the country's later Ebola epidemic. Despite these challenges, it has become a leading ecotourism destination in Sierra Leone and a regional model for conservation in West Africa.
Importance: UNESCO estimates that the Western Area Peninsula National Park contains between 80 and 90 percent of Sierra Leone's biodiversity, underscoring the park's—and Tacugama's—critical role in protecting the country's natural heritage.