By Alpha Abu
Growing encroachment by people building houses on the forested property of Sierra Leone’s coveted Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary close to Regent in the Western Rural District, poses the greatest challenge to the existence of the touristic facility, according to Bala Amarasekaran, its Founder and Programme Director.
Addressing some 35 Journalists visiting the primates’ sanctuary as part of training on Zoonotic Diseases and One Health; Environment, Human Health, and Animal Health by Politico Newspaper with support from the US-based media institution Internews’ Stop Spillover, Amarasekaran said houses are being illegally constructed by influential people in society on the sanctuary’s property, despite protestations.
He claimed the pristine rich bio-diversity of the place is being destroyed by the houses springing up within its periphery, with the water catchment areas and the very existence of the sanctuary, under serious attacks.
He said the environmental degradation taking place around the place is a worrying phenomenon and he is beginning to feel that his nearly three decades of dedication towards the facility is fast turning into wasted years.
He noted that it is a problem that should be of great concern to the Forestry Department, Guma Valley Water Company, the Lands Ministry, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - institutions that he said have a role to play in addressing the malaise.
He stated that soldiers were first deployed to guard the property whom he claimed could not stop people he felt were ‘’untouchables’’ in society from putting up structures in the vicinity. He said the replacement of the soldiers by the police has not stopped the land invasion, claiming the security personnel have been ineffective.
The Tacugama boss said through support from partners such as the World Bank, there are ongoing efforts to transform the place into a Theme Park under a Diversification Project that even Sierra Leoneans can enjoy when developed.
He said Tacugama chimp sanctuary has such international standing that it is the first to pop up Online as the number one place to visit when the ‘Trip Adviser’ for Sierra Leone is searched.
He mentioned how governments in countries such as Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda give full protection to their nature reserves by demarcating Buffer Zones to ward off any likelihood of encroachment.
Amarasekaran however pointed out that despite the challenges, Minister of Lands Dr. Turad Senesie has good intentions for the sanctuary which they are working on, and used the opportunity to appeal to the government of Sierra Leone to protect the sanctuary.
During the visit , the journalists interacted with the sanctuary officials who took them through a conducted tour and made detailed presentations on the sanctuary’s operations and those of One Health Project, indicating how their efforts in preserving the wildlife contribute to a safer society.
In his presentation, Frederick Moseray the Education Coordinator at the sanctuary noted that the more humans draw closer to the environment, the more the society becomes exposed to dangerous diseases and infections.
Tacugama is home to 116 chimpanzees that were rescued from difficult situations or turned in by people who were raising them as pets. The sanctuary was established by Amarasekaran in 1995. The government of Sierra Leone in 2019 declared the chimpanzee as a national primate, which has since been featured on the country’s passport.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (30/08/23)
