Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Tacugama provides a unique opportunity for visitors to see chimpanzees at close range in forested enclosures during our two daily tours. Overnight stays in our tranquil eco-lodges give visitors more time to relax in the rainforest. Our story started in 1988 when Bala Amarasekaran and his wife Sharmila bought a weak and sick baby chimpanzee for $20 fearing that if he was left without care and attention for much longer, he would soon die. The young chimpanzee changed their lives forever and led to the opening of Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. To read the entire story, click on History. There are many amazing stories emerging from Tacugama, the legend of Bruno was born here. Pinkie - the only albino chimpanzee ever recorded was brought to the sanctuary as a six-week old baby. Over the years, we have been involved in educating the community about chimpanzees which has led us into various Community Development, Community Outreach, Field Research and Education Programs. Field research is also an important part of our work and 2010 saw us complete the most comprehensive census of chimpanzees ever conducted in Sierra Leone. We are very pleased to present a short documentary film about Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. We hope that this will give you a better insight in to the sanctuary, our day to day work, challenges and aspirations, especially if you have never had the opportunity to visit us in Sierra Leone. We're very grateful to Paul Glynn, who filmed and produced this documentary as a gift for Tacugama after visiting us in December 2008.