Little was rescued
by Bala in 1993 when
he was a tiny little
chimp, hence his name.
An American peace corps
volunteer had originally
purchased the infant
from a village and eventually
handed him to a Sierra
Leonean. Little and
his new owner were seen
frequenting the beach
bars at nights and during
daytime he was kept
in a box on a main shopping
street in Freetown.
Little lived at Bala’s
until 1995 when he was
moved to Tacugama along
with Bruno's
group of 7 other rescued
chimps.
The civil war during
1997/1999 were difficult
times for everyone.
The chimps at Tacugama
were no exception. They
had to live through
bombings in terror,
nervousness and anxiety.
Armed gangs frequently
went through the sanctuary
shooting and looting,
and occasionally, shells
exploded very close
to camp.
The peace returned
in 2000, and routine
was restored in Tacugama,
except for Little Boy.
He continued to struggle
with his own battle.
The shooting and bombing
during the war left
him mentally traumatised.
Since then he began
to rock back and forth,
he stopped socializing
with the other chimps,
he pulled his hair to
complete baldness and
chewed his fingers up
to the point we had
to amputate part of
them due to irreversible
damage. Even his pals
seemed to understand
that Little had a problem
and were patient with
his unusual behaviour.
In spite of constant
care and love, Little
succumbed to seizures
and passed away in April
2003. Little Boy’s story
tells us that war not
only affects humans
but all beings. We
shall never forget our
Little Boy.
