When the outbreak first began there was much discussion about how the virus can be fostered in animals and transferred to humans through the consumption of bushmeat. But what about the animals who have come into contact with the disease through their human caretakers – or even the animals that have lost their guardians to this vicious illness?

News about the human victims of this horrible disease has been widely disseminated, and while this is incredibly important to expediting aid and action from countries around the world – the animal victims, who suffer as collateral of the disease haven’t been given much attention. Animal groups in Sierra Leone are struggling to care for stray animals, farm animals, and the wildlife in sanctuaries.

Just like animals require care in the wake of a natural disaster, animals that live in the regions impacted by Ebola need care and relief as well.

A Sanctuary in Crisis

The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary (TCS) in Sierra Leone has been especially hard hit by the Ebola crisis. Although workers are healthy and Freetown, where the sanctuary is located, is free from the disease, their funding has been cut nearly in half. The sanctuary makes a large portion of its operating budget through eco-tourism, however, with the outbreak of Ebola few people are making the trip to the sanctuary – and it doesn’t look as if conditions will improve anytime soon.

“We spend around $15,000 on running costs every month, including staff salaries and animal food. Normally we generate a big part (around 30 percent of the total) on visitors to the sanctuary and to our four eco-lodges. These visitors have completely vanished in the last months due to the Ebola outbreak,” explains the TCS.

Additionally, the current crisis has “caused a deficit of $7,500 on a monthly basis for the past 4 months.”

The sanctuary cares for 87 orphaned chimpanzees and is part of the African Sanctuary Alliance, which works to combat the hunting of primates for bushmeat and the illegal pet and commercial trade. The cost of feeding the chimps is relatively low, but is does add up, “[we spend] $3,000- 3.500 per month to feed our 90 chimpanzees. That is little over a dollar per chimp per day!”

With the outbreak of Ebola, fewer volunteers and visitors are traveling to the sanctuary, which has dealt a serious blow to the sanctuary’s revenue. The individuals who volunteer at the facility are alsowary of contracting the infectious disease, many of whom have friends and family members who have tragically been infected.

“The infection rate is doubling every week. Two staff members recently lost relatives to Ebola. We have daily Ebola briefing and all prevention protocols are observed. All locations where staff come from are monitored and firm decisions are made to relocate them in case an area becomes a hot spot,” explains TCS.

The sanctuary is finding it tough to get hold of supplies. Vehicle traffic, food supplies and personnel have been severely restricted in the area due to the Ebola quarantine. Kenema, one of the towns to which the sanctuary sends vehicles for supplies, has become an Ebola hotspot, making it too dangerous to send volunteers there. With shrinking access to the goods they need, and the fact that it is growing more expensive to acquire vital supplies for the sanctuary, the need for funding is greater than ever.

The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary is also very active in educating the local community about the importance of protecting chimpanzees in the wild and the dangers of consuming bush meat.Despite their struggle to gather funds, the sanctuary staff has continued to work tirelessly to carry on outreach efforts and education programs.

Emergency Funds

The Humane Society International, hearing of this critical emergency, donated $6,000 to the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary to help compensate their recent losses in a hope that the sanctuary will not have to shut its doors.

“Giving the best possible care for our chimps and maintaining the staff is paramount. Everyone is desperate here but determined to carry on,” says TCS.

Bernard Unti, Policy Adviser of the Humane Society International explains, “I view the work of Bala Amarasekaran (Tacugama’s program director) and his colleagues there as heroic and transformational,” he continues, “The primate sanctuaries in Africa are the true and best hope for chimpanzee preservation, and stand at the heart of the fight for chimpanzees’ survival.”

For the 87 abandoned, orphaned or confiscated chimpanzees live at the sanctuary, the Ebola epidemic threatens the future security of their lives.

“Ebola is destroying TCS’s hard-won base of funding and support from visitors and ecotourism among other channels,” says Unti.

The donation from HSI will help relieve the pressure that is being put on sanctuary for now, but continued support will be needed until TCS is out of the woods.  In addition to this contribution, HSI has donated $6,000 to the Campaign Against Cruelty to Animal which will help to feed the pets, street dogs, and farm animals in their care.

Andrew Rowan, president of HSI, stated in a press release, “We want to assist our courageous partners in animal protection in their hour of acute need. The efforts of NGOs in West Africa have been severely hampered by the Ebola outbreak, and we hope these funds help these two organizations carry out their critical missions.”

What You Can Do

We must be resilient and very diligent in the wake of this crisis and the added support from HSI will undoubtedly prove beneficial to the chimps and staff at TCS, but this is no way guarantees the future security for this important sanctuary.

Nonetheless, the sanctuary remains optimistic saying they intend to “focus on what we can do, have faith in human spirit and values and we will come out of this. We have a fantastic team here, both nationals and internationals. All committed to stay and serve the chimps.”

Urgent help is needed. The best thing you can do is to make a donation to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary.

“We are doing our very best to stay safe and serve the chimps and staff but it is getting extremely difficult to sustain our operation,” says the sanctuary’s program director, Bala Amarasekaran, “Your support strengthens our commitment and your donations are crucial for our survival. Please help!”

For more information, click here. There are also many other animals in need of aid during this turbulent time. You can learn more about how you can help and make a donation to Humane Society International’s disaster fund by clicking here.

Source: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/ebola-crisis-animals-tacugama-chimpanzee-sanctuary/