Noah’s Path is pleased to announce the initiation of this outreach work with an ambitious collaboration project with the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone (www.tacugama.com), a western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) rescue center founded in 1995. This sanctuary, widely recognized amongst the nonhuman primate/wildlife rescue centers in Africa, provides general and medical care for over 70 chimpanzees housed in semifree-ranging conditions, and additionally works on environmental education and conservation projects in Sierra Leone. In 2011, the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) organized the population and habitat viability assessment workshop for this chimpanzee subspecies in Sierra Leone. The Western chimpanzee is one of the most endangered subspecies of chimpanzees and in Sierra Leone is located the third higher census (over 5,000 chimpanzees in 2010) after Guinea and Liberia, although more than a half live in unprotected areas. Several modalities of habitat destruction and illegal poaching (for the bushmeat business or to reduce crop raiding) are the main causes of population declines, but contribution of infectious disease, particularly Ebola virus infection, is unknown (some outbreaks previous to the devastating 2014-5 outbreak in humans in other countries were preceded by mortality outbreaks in gorillas and chimpanzees in the same areas, and Ebola virus was detected in some of these apes).

Since 2005, this sanctuary is affected with a seasonal mortality problem in chimpanzees often preceded with CNS signs; the previous diagnostic workup has revealed relevant information but the cause has yet to be identified. Currently, sodium monofluoroacetate intoxication due to consumption of the plant Dichapetalum heudelotii, which is present in the facilities where deaths occur, is suspected. The collaboration between the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Noah’s Path has started in order to try to identify the culprit of this syndrome. The study/work plan includes:

1- A retrospective review of available diagnostic work

2- A review and adaptation of the necropsy and sampling protocol

3- An extended baseline health assessment of the resident chimpanzees previous to the season in which mortality concentrates

4- An exhaustive prospective pathology study of any deceased chimpanzee that will include a systematic histopathological evaluation and toxicological analyses. In addition, disease monitoring in wild chimpanzees and other wildlife around the center is planned.

This project is expected to help to implement a self-sustaining pathology and wildlife disease monitoring program for this species and other wildlife in this country. Noah’s Path aims at driving your attention on this project and promoting the collaboration of suppliers, clients and other professionals, companies and institutions. A number of support modalities exist (for example, donation of new or used equipment or exhaustible medical supplies, financial support, personal volunteering, or making others aware of this project and its needs) and we ask any of you interested in collaborating contact us or directly the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in this regard because every single sand grain and a single person can become vital for this project, Western chimpanzee conservation and this center.