Tacugama Blog

We are proud to announce that Tacugama has been featured in a scientific publication in the esteemed journal Nature Communications!!! We are also excited to come one step closer to solving a 15-year long mystery. Published February 3, 2021, titled “A Sarcina bacterium linked to lethal disease in sanctuary chimpanzees in Sierra Leone”. Some Tacugama chimpanzees have been experiencing a fatal mystery illness syndrome since 2005, and despite the efforts of many veterinarians and experts in various fields, we have still not found a definitive...

Sierra Leone – The Netherlands November 20, 2020 Sierra Leone’s Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Dutch Sunday Foundation combine forces to protect human and wildlife shared natural habitat: the rainforests of Sierra leone. November 2020 marks the start of an unique collaboration between Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and the Sunday Foundation to educate and strengthen both urban and rural communities of Sierra Leone to preserve their natural habitat – the rainforest – and protect Sierra Leone National Animal: the Chimpanzee. Sunday Foundation: Help for the most...

Tacugama is excited to release our first fundraising calendar for 2021. We hope that 2021 will be a much more uplifting year for all of us, after the difficult times in 2020, and hope to share some daily joy with all of our supporters from the wonderful images in this calendar. All proceeds will go to sustaining Tacugama’s ongoing programmes. Please visit http://www.tacugama.com/2021-tacugama-calendar to purchase yours today! ...

A difficult month lies ahead but we must all stay strong, sane and try to do something good to make a difference. By participating in our ‘April Challenge’ you will be helping to make a difference for the Tacugama chimps! Check out the details on our flyer. A couple of suggestions on how you can set up your own campaign is through the ‘Be a Fundraiser’ section on our Just Giving fundraising page, or create a Facebook Fundraising page. We look forward to...

As the number of new confirmed cases of the COVID-19, grows worldwide there are high chances that the virus will reach Sierra Leone at any moment with some cases confirmed in the neighbouring countries of Liberia and Guinea. It is very challenging for the sanctuary as an institution at the forefront of its work of animal welfare and conservation to encounter this significant world health issue. We still have no fundamental understanding of how the virus could affect the chimpanzees and...

“A few words.. As I scribble this little note a smile tickles my face, and nostalgic memories of an incredible birthday celebration enables me to put pen to paper and hopefully be able to share the moment with others, that they may too look at arranging unforgettable and original activities, ones like Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone can provide. The sanctuary is an incredible place, it is silent whilst noisy, green with jungle and vines, brown with red dust and...

What has football got to do with chimpanzees? That was my first thought when I was asked to help organize a football tournament in the Moyamba district of Sierra Leone.  I soon learned that Tacugama does more than just look after the chimps on site. They believe the best way to care for chimpanzees is to make sure they never have to be rescued in the first place. This is achieved by the very busy outreach team who go out...

Giving Day for Apes 2019 happened on the 15th October. We would like to thank everyone for their very generous donations that helped us raise  $12,585. You can still donate via the Chimpanzee guardianship programme which is detailed below. 2019 was a remarkable year for us. Not only did we receive a visit from world’s most famous primatologist Jane Goodall, but the government announced – during Jane’s stay with us – the chimpanzee as Sierra Leone’s national animal and new face of...