Tacugama Sanctuary Reopens After Months-Long Closure to Protect Endangered Chimps

In November 2025, the world-famous Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone has reopened to the public after a 5-month closure. The sanctuary, which is home to the critically endangered Western chimpanzee, had shut its gates to visitors from May to November 2025 in an act of protest against the alarming rise in deforestation threatening its surrounding habitat.

Tacugama, located around 15 kilometers from the capital Freetown, has long been a leading ecotourism destination and a model for environmental conservation across West Africa. However, the sanctuary's custodians were faced with an unacceptable level of illegal land-grabbing and deforestation on its doorstep, prompting them to take drastic action.

"Our closure was never a choice. It was an act of protection and a stand against illegal land-grabbing that posed a serious threat to Tacugama," said Bala Amarasekaran, the sanctuary's founder and director. The refuge only reopened after the Sierra Leonean government committed to addressing the threats to the sanctuary and the endangered Western chimpanzees it shelters.

Tacugama is home to over 120 primates, many of whom are young chimpanzees under the age of five whose families have been killed. The sanctuary plays a crucial role in teaching these orphaned chimps the skills they need to survive in the wild. Despite facing challenges such as the Sierra Leone Civil War and the Ebola epidemic, Tacugama has remained steadfast in its mission to conserve the country's biodiversity and protect the critically endangered Western chimpanzee.