Tacugama

Protecting chimpanzees in Sierra Leone

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PLEASE HELP SOLO!

Category: Tacugama | Date: Mar 04 2009 | By: tacugama

If you’ve had a chance to read our newsletter then you’ve probably read about our appeal for Solo. We’re repeating that appeal here and ask you to please spread the request for help to as many of your contacts as possible, thank you.

We’re looking to raise $15,000 to help improve Solo’s living conditions here at Tacugama:

In every sanctuary there is usually at least one chimp who challenges the security of the enclosures and it’s extremely difficult to develop enough measures to stay ahead of the challenges.  Here at Tacugama, Solo is our escape strategist and he has certainly put us to the test.

help-solo-1.jpg.

In June we moved him into Gorilla’s group so that we could monitor him more closely and manage his ladder and bridge building skills. Unfortunately he has continued to master his skills to the point that we cannot afford to take the risk of him escaping or passing on the skills to other group members. As he’s growing into a strong adult male we’ve had to take the very difficult decision of confining him to the dens.

One of Solo’s planned escape routes
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Bala and Willie take Solo back to the dens
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Currently Solo has no access to our forested enclosures and has limited contact with his fellow chimps. He is given the chance to interact with his group members in the dens when they come in for the night but his situation is far from ideal. Along with many of the chimpanzees at Tacugama we plan to rehabilitate Solo into the wild once we are able to identify protected forest areas where they can live as natural, wild groups in Sierra Leone but this will still take time to achieve.  Until then he deserves a better environment than the one the dens alone can provide.

We desperately need help with funding to build a roofed outdoor enclosure that will provide Solo with a large,  outdoor space where he can climb and socialise with other chimps but not get out! We have estimated it will cost approximately $15,000 to build it as most of the materials will have to be imported but we are working to get a better and more accurate quote.

Please help us to help Solo have a better life. Please make your donation using the one time open donation option on the right. Thank you.

Solo enjoys a special treat of a bottle of juice until the other chimps - keen to share in the attention - stone his den from a nearby enclosure…!

5 Responses to “PLEASE HELP SOLO!”

Christine C., on 04 Mar 2009

Wow, that is certainly a lot of money…any chance you could convince a company to sponsor Tacugama, and this project in particular…with all the negative attention given to the plight of chimps as pets these days, it may be an easier sell than in the past…Poor Solo…too smart for his own good!!

paula, on 05 Mar 2009

Hi Bala and team, what a massive challenge. Poor Solo, we will do what we can to help you raise these funds through WLD, facebook, twitter, stumble…you name it!

Baraza » Saving Chimpanzees, on 05 Mar 2009

[…] four new baby chimps being accommodated, at Tacugama we are desperately trying to raise $15,000 to care for Solo a very clever chimp, …I hope that the focus on research chimps and chimp pets in the USA raises awareness and […]

Theresa, on 07 Mar 2009

Poor Solo…so smart but unsafe. I have posted this link to facebook and asked my chimp loving friends to help. Hopefully that will raise some revenue for his new enclosure. Let me know if there is anything else I can do Bala. Thank you once again for your dedication to the chimps.

Catherine M, on 07 Mar 2009

Hi Bala, greetings from an old friend. We’ll do what we can to raise the awareness and provide support. Give my best to Sharmila & the kids.

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