Tacugama's hero - GAP Project

Tacugama’s hero

posted in 27 May 2009

DISNEY PRIZE 2009

On April 23, 2006, a warning sign sounded in the morning when 31 chimpanzees of Tacugama Sanctuary, in Sierra Leone, West Africa, had escaped and attacked a taxi driver, who was taking three tourists he was taking to the sanctuary. He ended up dead.

Bala Amarasekaran, founder of the sanctuary, was in London and Dr. Rosa Garriga, the vet, flew back from a meeting in Europe. The police and the army mobilized due to the fear of the population and rounded the sanctuary. At this moment Willie Tucker arrived at Tacugama and handled the situation, calming down the employees, the people from the villages and the public defense force, which was threaten to get into the sanctuary.

The 31 chimpanzees disappeared in the mountains and forests near the sanctuary. Tucker then formed a team of people to track the runaway chimpanzees. Some were near the sanctuary, terrified with the consequences of their attitude, and other were a lot of kilometers away. After 8 months, in a work that demanded dedication and patience, including long walks and investigations that lasted weeks, every chimpanzee agreed to be sedated and conducted back to the sanctuary by a team of people led by Tucker and the founder of the sanctuary. Until December 2006, 27 had come back. They did not attack anyone, nor disturbed the villages or the human communities located near Tacugama.

Willie Tucker is being awarded by Disney Foundation for his work and dedication to the protection of great primates. He is the third keeper in a roll of a PASA sanctuary in Africa that Disney awards since 2007.

Doug Cress, Executive Director of PASA declared: “PASA is proud of Willie Tucker and his extraordinary work in Tacugama”. And added: “We all know that Sierra Leone has been facing hard times and Tacugama suffered a lot, as many other organizations. There were times that the sanctuary converted in a battle field. And the dedication of Willie to his work and to the chimpanzees has been an example.”

In the 1990’s, Sierra Leone faced a hard period of an intense civil war and the battle reached the sanctuary, which still has the marks of the shots between the enemy wings on its walls. Tacugama was founded in 1995 and today hosts 92 chimpanzees. Willie Tucker, who is from the country, is graduated in Wild Life Protection, in MwekaSchool, in Tanzany.

Tucker is going to receive the award – a recognition plate and a money prize – during a ceremony in Sierra Leone in the next few months.

Dr. Pedro A Ynterian
President, GAP Project International

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