Rosalind Hanson Alp formerly worked at the Outamba-Kilimi National Park in Sierra Leone, West Africa. She also worked on setting up a rescue center for chimpanzees. For many years Sierra Leone was the world's leading exporter of chimpanzees - thanks to the presence of the Austrian expatriate animal dealer Franz Sitter.
Now Sitter is gone, but the chimpanzees of Sierra Leone still face problems. A sanctuary was established to provide a home for chimpanzees rescued from bad conditions. Its name is Tacugama.
Sadly Sierra Leone has been caught up in a vicious civil war for several years. The sanctuary has been "caught in the middle" of warring factions. IPPL has stayed in touch with Rosalind and both IPPL Headquarters and IPPL-UK have provided emergency help for the chimpanzees.
Two reports, one from Rosalind and one from project director Bala Amarasekaram follow.
REPORT FROM ROSALIND
Since the AFRC/RUF took power in a coup on 25 May 1997, little has changed to bring stability to Sierra Leone. Most banks, schools and businesses remain closed, including all international embassies. While a peace agreement has been signed between the ruling AFRC/RUF rebels and ECOMOG (the West African peace keeping force), there are problems in the details of the agreement and there continue to be outbursts of fighting between the two sides.
If it goes through, the peace agreement will allow the former government, under President Kabbah, to return on a power sharing basis. However, while negotiations take place, major shortages of food and resources have threatened a famine that could have devastating effects on the people of Sierra Leone.
The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, in Regent just outside Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, is also fast running out of food and is literally locked in the middle of fighting between the rebels and Nigerian ECOMOG forces. In October the director, Mr. Bala Amarasekaran, returned to Freetown, after being forcibly evacuated to London when the hotel in which he and hundreds of people took refuge came under attack in the coup.
During the time he was in London, Amarasekaran kept the sanctuary going with his private funds and was in almost daily contact with the veterinarian, Dr. Jalloh, and other project staff, who worked relentlessly to ensure the safety and security of the chimps, despite the chaos in Freetown.
Unfortunately, Dr. Jalloh had to evacuate to Guinea in October, because of conerns about his family. After two raids on the camp by armed robbers, the sanctuary was left without medical supplies or veterinary knowledge. For this reason, sadly five young chimpanzees have so far died.
The RUF rebels and AFRC have set up camp on one side of the hill, only three kilometers from the sanctuary. The Nigerian ECOMOG soldiers are stationed 5 kilometers on the other side.
The chimpanzee sanctuary is right in the middle.
On 19 November 1997, fighting broke out and the sanctuary staff had to flee into the surrounding forest as bombs exploded and gunfire was all around. Two shells hit just behind the office building. One landed just to the side of the dam below the sanctuary.
In the last two months, another strange event has taken place. A wild chimpanzee female about 11 years old has taken refuge at the sanctuary. It is not known where she came from, but she could be the last member of a former wild community further down the coast. She will not go further than 300 yards from camp and nests in the trees above each night. She plays with and comforts the young chimps, and sheltered on the veranda of the building when the 19 November attack took place.
This is the first time that a wild ape has come to live in a sanctuary for ex-captive apes, and this has probably only happened because she was frightened by all the fighting in and around the forest.
The sanctuary has enough funds ONLY to last the next two months, and without further help the chimpanzees' lives are in danger.
REPORT FROM BALA
Bala Amarasekaran, Project Director, visited Sierra Leone between October 1997 and January 1998 and wrote this report.
Clearly Mr Amarasekaran and the African project staff have shown remarkable courage in attending to their chimpanzee charges, risking their own lives.
I left London on 20 October 1997 and arrived in Gambia. I located Ms. Janis Carter, Director of the Gambia and Guinea Chimp Rehabilitation Programme, and had extensive discussions regarding the present situation and possible future collaboration between the Sierra Leone Rehab Programme and the Gambia/Guinea programs.
We agreed on various forms of assistance such as veterinary services through the same medical personnel helping the Gambia/Guinea projects, training for Sierra Leonean project staff, and regular visits to Sierra Leone by Ms. Carter when the current situation normalizes.
I was also able to learn some basic medical skills (especially darting) with the help of Ms. Carter. I purchased most of the medicines and tranquilizing darts in The Gambia and left for Sierra Leone on 3 November 1997.
It took me sixteen hours to reach Freetown, covering a mere 300 miles. There were numerous check-points (approximately 20 in all) where both the soldiers and the rebels harassed everyone and extorted whatever they could. Though I lost some of my belongings and money, I was able to save the medicines and the darts.
The situation in Freetown was chaotic and the presence of armed soldiers and rebels could be noticed everywhere. There were long queues for petrol, kerosene, rice, oil, etc.
There were hardly any vehicles on the streets due to the acute shortage of fuel caused by the economic embargo levied by the international community. Fuel could still be bought, but at five times the usual cost. There was no electricity, and I heard rampant firing of small arms through the nights!
On the advice of the sanctuary staff I was not allowed to visit the project site immediately, as the staff members were making some kind of notification to various checkpoints regarding my arrival.
Finally, after a week I made it to the sanctuary. Almost all the chimps had lost some weight, and their number had sadly been reduced to seventeen.
The staff looked exhausted, but were amazingly still in high spirits and doing their best to care for the remaining chimps. As the days went by, they related all the incidents that had occurred in the last five months. Though the chimps are still recovering both mentally and physically, the presence of the wild chimp and her integration with the sanctuary chimps has given some life to the daily activities.
Though my stay in Sierra Leone was short (two months), I was able to accomplish the following:
* After several meetings at State House I was able to arrange a permanent armed police officer for the project through the police headquarters in Freetown and secured passes for the staff to go through the check-points with some ease.
* I made back-up arrangements to transport food, medicines and fuel for the chimps, whenever these items run out in the usual markets.
* We were able to take a veterinarian to the site and he was able to do a complete screening of blood and stool samples taken from the chimps and staff. Necessary treatments were carried out (twice - once in mid-October and again in mid- November 1997).
* As the present project area is within the war front, we had to smuggle a video camera to the site with one cameraman from the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Services. We spent three days at the sanctuary and came up with a documentary. This documentary was shown on national television in Sierra Leone, mainly to educate the soldiers, rebels and the various fighting factions by creating awareness of the project.
* We put all the chimps on an intensive health care programme and, by the time I was leaving, most of them looked healthier and in better spirits. They have started going on their regular walks and socialization exercises. The staff too had gained more confidence and my presence certainly boosted their morale. They are 100% determined to continue with their work, despite all the hardships they and the chimps are going through.
As funds were running out, I had no alternative but to leave my chimps and staff once more to come to the U.K. to seek further assistance.
I met Ms. Janis Carter again in The Gambia and had the opportunity to visit the Gambian Rehabilitation Programme. I stayed for three days and was able to exchange views with Janis and her staff. It was a beautiful experience watching the fully rehabilitated chimps in their natural environment and this gave me a lot of confidence to continue with my work with the chimps in Sierra Leone.
I take this opportunity to thank the International Primate Protection League and the World Society for the Protection of Animals for their timely assistance and solicit your continued support to keep the Tacugama Reserve chimps, and the Rehabilitation Programme, alive.
STOP PRESS: Good news! The Sierra Leone civil war came to an end in
March 1998 and the project staff hope things will soon be back to normal.
Meet Beanie, one of IPPL's
Sanctuary Gibbons