By Nasratu Kargbo
Efforts by the Staff of Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary to take custody of a young Chimpanzee found being held in a cage as a pet by an unnamed individual in Koidu, Kono District has been thwarted by those holding the animal.
According to the Communications Officer of the sanctuary, Sidikie Bayoh, the person holding the chimp had requested money in exchange for the primate.
According to Bayoh, a team had gone to Koidu on the 11th of September 2023 to rescue the chimpanzee so she could join the other animals in the sanctuary, but the person holding the animal captive did not agree to release her even after the team had educated him and others present about the law that protects such an animal.
Bayoh explained that they were surrounded by close to fifty members of the community and had to involve the Police, and used the opportunity to engage and educate the gathering about the country’s National Animal and Wildlife Act of 1972 which was amended in 2022.
However, he expressed disappointment about the response of the Police Local Unit Commander Alhaji Bangura, when he was approached for interventions, claiming the officer made insensitive and discouraging remarks to the extent of saying that people have been eating chimpanzee meat in Sierra Leone for decades so they can’t just be stopped now without any form of compensation.
Bayoh explained that when their Team Lead Willie Tucker tried to explain the importance of the animal and it being a national animal, he misinterpreted their effort as them being disrespectful to his position.
“He remained in favor of the illegal owner’s demand for compensation, an action which in itself would be detrimental to our conservation efforts. Granting wildlife traffickers compensation for handing over an illegally kept wild animal would negatively affect the population of said animal, as it would encourage further poaching and trafficking activities” Bayoh said.
He asserted that their mandate as a sanctuary is to rescue chimpanzees and maintain a flourishing wildlife population. He stated that the travel which they thought was supposed to be quick, lasted three days, and fruitless because their rescue efforts were interrupted by both the community and the police.
The Wildlife Conservation Amendment Act 2022 which protects wildlife says: “A person guilty of an offence under this Act for which no special penalty is provided is liable of conviction to a fine not less than Le I 5,000.000.00 or to a term of imprisonment not less than 2 years or to both such fine and imprisonment and a trophy in respect of which the conviction shall have been recorded shall be forfeited”.
Politico tried to reach LUC Bangura through phone calls and text messages but got no response.
The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary was founded in 1995 by Bala Amarasekaran as a place of refuge for Chimps rescued from hunters and people keeping the primates as pets. There are presently one hundred and sixteen chimpanzees at the sanctuary. The founder in a recent media engagement expressed his frustration over the negative effects of human activities on conservation efforts in the country, citing encroachment on the sanctuary’s land by private individuals.
Copyright (2023) Politico (20/09/23)
