By: Mohamed Sahr
In view of obtaining the much-needed experience and the joy of visiting the chimps in their place of refuge, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Cultural Preservation Fourah Bay College Students’Union Government has converged more than one hundred students to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in the Freetown Peninsula on 21st May 2023.
Hassan Hindolo Senesie, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Cultural Preservation said the idea of visiting Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary was rooted in the experience he gathered after visiting numerous preservation and historic places within the country; adding that those beautiful areas gingered him to take a number of students in order to make a courtesy visit to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. He thanked his sponsors Africa Heritage and Leadership Centre and the Students Tourism Hub for providing the necessary support in footing the success of the visit.
He felt overwhelmed especially from the educational session the students had during their visit. “By this time, I know my college students now know tourism is actually a stainable area and is one sector of the economy, they should learn into it as it holds a lot of jobs and other opportunities,” Minister Senesie said.
He mentioned that Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary remains an instrumental place when it comes to wildlife development and tourism in Sierra Leone of which they have etched their names in the history of West Africa and they have equally topped the chart in Africa for quite a long time. Minister Senesie affirmed that his colleague students were resolved as to what they saw during the educational session as well as the tour.
He encouraged the government and institutions to make a collaborative effort with the students’ government who would serve as a channel in terms of disseminating the message of keeping chimps as pets, eating of bush meats, involving in environmental degradation and discouraging the hunting of wild animals among others. He called on the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Madam Memunatu Pratt to continue her overwhelming support to the FBC, Students’ Union Government particularly his sector.
Francis Musa Momoh, Curator of Black Excellence Celebration Sierra Leone said the visit of TCS brings along monumental feelings into the minds of the students in terms of heritage and natural conservative. He felt honoured for being part of such a milestone; emphasizing that they would serve as a vehicle in informing other Sierra Leoneans about the Western Chimp as Sierra Leone’s National Animal.
Momoh frowned against people who are encroaching on the peninsula as it provides many sources of livelihood for different communities including Freetown by extension. “We are at a critical point of environmental degradation so let us stand and fight against it, ” Momoh noted.
Nyamakoro Marrah, a third-year Law student said being her first time as a group to visit Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, she felt overwhelmed and learnt a lot about the activities of TCS. She hoped to be an ambassador as well as share the message with other people.
Marrah urged Sierra Leoneans to collectively work together in creating awareness around the country’s National Animal. She called on the government to support Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
Noah Conteh, Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary Tour Guy said there are about forty wild chimpanzees in the Natural Protected Area and the 2009 Chimpanzee Census stated that there were five thousand and five hundred (5,500) chimps in the entire country.
He said the chimps go through three stages which are the Health Screening stage, Semi Wild stage and the Wild stage. Noah added that humans and chimps share 95% DNA similarities. “As of now, TCS holds one hundred and fifty (115) chimpanzees,” Conteh said.
