By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay
FREETOWN, May 14 (232news.com) –The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary (TCS) has started a week long awareness and protection campaign for Chimpanzee national animal awareness and protection campaign.
The weeklong campaign according to the TCS Communication Officer, Daniella Samura is to raise awareness about the endangered western chimpanzee and change people’s negative perceptions towards them.
She said the main goal of the campaign is to instil a culture in Sierra Leoneans who are proud of their national animal and understand the urgent need to protect and conserve chimpanzees.
“This campaign is important because TCS wants to use the entire week to create more awareness about the endangered status of the western chimpanzees in the country, and also to help protect theses precious animals.”
She added that this week awareness and protection campaign is geared towards letting Sierra Leoneans know that the Chimpanzee is the national animal of Sierra Leone and also the face of tourism.
Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary has been preserving Sierra Leone’s Wildlife since 1995 by conservationist Bala Amarasekaran and his wife Sharmila.. It is located on the outskirts of Freetown in the Western Area Peninsula National Park.
TCS was initially established to enforce wildlife laws and rescue and rehabilitate critically endangered orphaned Western chimpanzees, Tacugama has grown into a diverse conservation organization. TCS is caring for over 100 endangered western chimpanzees, and it is also actively engaged offsite in community outreach, wildlife field research, environmental sustainability, conservation education and alternative livelihood programs. Tacugama is also an eco-tourism hub for Freetown, so it home to 6 eco-lodges and a variety of activities for both tourists and the Sierra Leoneans to participate in.
The weeklong activities starting from the 9th May to the 15th May 2022 have the following features: School Kids March Starting at Youyi Building and ending at Victoria Park, Football Tournament at SS Camp, Regent. Art/Photography exhibition & competition at Toma on Tuesday. On Wednesday National Story Competition/story telling competition (Both Kids and adult) at the FCC Hall in Freetown and it will climax on Sunday 15th May 2022 with a Gala Night/Fundraising at the Radisson Blu Hotel. Buy the Gala night tickets and get 15% off a flight ticket with Brussels Airlines.
