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JOURNEE MONDIALE DES VETERINAIRES

Leur engagement redonne une chance à ceux que le trafic a laissés sans rien.

Grand MERCI à notre Equipe Vétérinaire de réparer, soigner et faire renaître ces vies.

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WORLD VETERINARY DAY

Their commitment gives another chance to those left behind by trafficking.

MANY THANKS to our Vet Team for healing, restoring, and helping these lives start again.

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PETITE SANA a besoin de vos ondes positives.
Merci pour ELLE🙏

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BABY SANA needs your positive vies.
Thank you for HER🙏

chimpsarenotpets!

Tonight is Earth Hour. 🌍

As cities dim their lights around the world, the forest around Tacugama gently slips into darkness.

Just the way nature intended.

@earthhourofficial
📸 @renato_granieri_photography

We’re incredibly excited that wildlife photographer @renato_granieri_photography is back at Tacugama.

There are people who take beautiful photos, and then there are people who truly understand what they are looking at. Renato has a rare ability to capture not just the chimpanzees, but the feeling of this place and our conservation work. The care, the forest, and the wider conservation work happening every day to protect wildlife and their habitat.

And what makes this even more special… he does all of this as a volunteer.

That generosity, of time, talent and perspective, means more than we can put into words.

Because of Renato, the stories of Tacugama travel further. From rescued chimpanzees to our conservation and education projects, his images help people understand what is at stake and why it matters.

A heartfelt thank you, Renato. We’re so grateful to have you back with us.

To everyone following along, keep an eye out. Some truly beautiful moments are coming your way.
Swipe to see some of his images from previous years in Tacugama.

Our March events calendar is here!

Join us at Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary for a basket weaving workshop and a yoga retreat.

All activities directly support the care, rehabilitation, and wellbeing of the rescued chimpanzees.

Check the schedule and book your spot 🗓️🌿

For bookings and more information:
Email: reception@tacugama.com
WhatsApp/Call: +232 31 777 777

⭐️Escape Artist Week ⭐️
Today: the one and only Big Lucy

Big Lucy arrived at Tacugama in 2001. She was about three or four years old.

Before that, she had been bought from a hunter and kept by someone from the Sierra Leone Army in Benguema for roughly two and a half years. When she arrived, she brought two things with her:
a razor-sharp mind and a nervous system that was always on high alert.

In her younger years, Big Lucy was one of the more anxious individuals in the group. When tensions rose, she could spiral into panic. Stress hit her fast and hard.

Those days seem largely behind her now. Over the years, she has grown steadier and more secure within the group.

She is strong, dominant and confident in her own unmistakable way.

Big Lucy is the primary mate of Solo, the alpha male of the Escape Squad. And she often walks around with the biggest goofy grin, as if she’s in on a joke the rest of us haven’t figured out yet.

From day one, she proved she was no ordinary chimp.

As a youngster, she once managed to escape and sneak into the milk preparation room. She was discovered clutching a giant tin of powdered milk, happily scooping it straight into her mouth.

Tomorrow: mastermind number three.

Learning About Forests, One School at a Time 🌱

For the first time, our kids environmental education Program (TKEEP) has been implemented in schools around Outamba-Kilimi National Park (OKNP).

Last month we carried out our TKEEP Mid-Term Evaluation across 6 primary schools and 1 secondary school in the region. The secondary school was established through a partnership between Tacugama and the Dutch #SundayFoundation — a collaboration we are incredibly proud of.

This year, under the leadership of our new Education Coordinator Lloyd Antrobus, we transformed how we evaluate learning. No more paper surveys. Instead: interactive knowledge-sharing, fun challenges, and real conversations.

Through lively classroom discussions and outdoor activities, pupils confidently explained why forests matter — for food, clean air, wildlife, and climate resilience.

⚽ A highlight was a circle football game where pupils passed the ball and called out what forests provide: cassava leaves, water, animals, fresh air. Learning through movement, laughter, and teamwork.

Quizzes and true/false rounds showed strong understanding — and a generation already thinking in solutions: protecting wildlife, reducing logging, and promoting sustainable farming.

This environmental education program in OKNP is fully funded by #GoApeFoundation and we are deeply grateful for that commitment.

Around OKNP, communities and wildlife live side by side. This forest landscape is home to critically endangered species such as the African forest elephant, the pygmy hippopotamus, and the Western chimpanzee.

Investing in education here means investing in the future of both people and wildlife🌱🙌

Hoppas ni alla fick en fin julafton.

Jag hade möjlighet tack vare er donera en julgåva till vännerna I reservatet J.A.C.K. I DRC Kongo.
10 092 kom in via swish, sedan inkom det gåvor direkt till vårt Bank konto.
De resulterade i att julgåvan blev
13 756 svenska kronor / 1 500 USD
Vi sänder alltid I USD då det är den valutan som används mest i landet.

Reservatet står inför svåra tider, krig hotar runt knuten. Rebeller slåss om den viktiga mineralen som finns I Kongos jord. En mineral som vi använder i all elektronik, batterier mm mm!
Kanske inget vi tänker på här hemma, men så många hotade djur arter försvinner där gruvdriften drar fram.

Därför har reservaten en viktig roll i bevarandet och för framtiden.

Att vi kan hjälpa Roxane och Franck som med så stor passion, omtanke, kärlek tar hand om schimpanser och andra primater som vi människor berövat mödrar, familj och frihet, gör mig så oerhört tacksam.

Jag minns speciellt en gång när Jane Goodall och jag stod i schimpans huset i Furuvik. Santino satt där och tittade på oss med sin speciella blick.
Då sa Jane liksom genom Santinos blick : Kan du se mig in i ögonen och lova mig en framtid?
sedan tog hon min hand och sa tack för allt du gör för dem.
Det sitter för alltid i mitt hjärta och jag lovade mig själv att alltid vara en ambassadör för dem.

Så alla kära vänner, bekanta och andra som är med och mig och möjliggör hjälpen

TUSEN TUSEN TACK!!

Bifogar även kvitton på överföringar och donation.

Önskar er en fin fortsättning på helgen och ett riktigt Gott Nytt År.

Varma kramar / Ing-Marie ❤️

För mer information följ länken nedan.

https://mailchi.mp/jackcongo.org/best-wishes?e=6bac05d304

Ett år har nu snart förflutit och
Sweden Chimpanzee Trust sänder kärlek till er alla som hjälpt oss under året. 🙏
Santinos och min hand får symbolisera att det går att förändra om vi hjälps åt.

Den sista julgåvan för i år kommer jag att sända den 23 december.

Är så tacksam för er tillit och vänlighet

/ Ing-Marie ❤️

Sweden Chimpanzee Trust
Swish 070 6001037
Bank giro: 685-6231

We’re not only celebrating our reopening, but also still marking 30 years of Tacugama! 🎉

One of our proudest moments: in 2019, during Dr. Jane Goodall’s visit, Tacugama successfully lobbied for the Western chimpanzee to become Sierra Leone’s National Animal — a global first and a milestone for conservation. 🇸🇱

Starring on all posters, billboards and banners that year: Somebody — rescued in 2013 after losing a hand to a snare. Today she’s a strong, respected female in her group with alpha male AJ.❤️

Here’s to 30 years of protecting Sierra Leone’s national treasure 🙌🏾