Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr has called out Sierra Leone’s government after the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary closed its doors to visitors.

In a post on her official Facebook page, the mayor said it doesn’t make sense for the government to talk about boosting tourism and growing the economy while allowing forest destruction and threats to wildlife to continue.

She shared a report by Sky News that looks into the current situation at Tacugama, where chimpanzees rescued from being hunted or taken from the wild are now facing a new danger land being cleared around the sanctuary for housing.

Tacugama has been a key tourist destination in Sierra Leone for years, but the team says the growing threat from illegal encroachment has forced them to pause all public visits. They’re now focusing fully on protecting the chimps, caring for new rescues, and continuing research.

According to Sky News, efforts to stop the destruction had earlier received attention from the president himself, but the support didn’t last. Building activity picked up again, even near the chimp enclosures.

Founder Bala Amarasekaran told the outlet that after many warnings, they’ve grown frustrated. He said the government often agrees with them in meetings, but the departments responsible for taking real action aren’t stepping in.

The mayor is pushing the government to take action. She wants to know how long the problems around Tacugama will be ignored. To her, saving the forests and animals is not just about the environment it’s also about making tourism in Sierra Leone successful.

Tacugama is home to more than 120 chimps, including babies like Asana, who was recently rescued after being kept as a pet in Bo. The sanctuary says that if enough work had been done to stop hunting and trading, animals like Asana wouldn’t need to be rescued in the first place.

Back in 2019, the chimpanzee was named Sierra Leone’s national animal, and its image placed in the passport. That move came after years of awareness work by the sanctuary.

But now, with visitor revenue gone and outside funding paused, the team at Tacugama is worried not just about their survival, but whether young people in Sierra Leone will ever truly connect with the country’s wildlife.

The mayor’s message questions how tourism can grow if the government doesn’t protect forests and wildlife.