By Abu B. Shaw, Vanguard London Bureau Chief
Amidst claims and counter claims of what actually transpired in the chimpanzee saga in Freetown on Sunday April 23, the names of the victims killed and injured in the unfortunate accident have been released by the government of Sierra Leone.
Addressing the press on Tuesday April 25 in Freetown, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Professor Septimus Kaikai said the Sierra Leonean who lost his life in the mayhem was a taxi driver named Issa Kanu. Issa, who was waiting in his cab, was frequently seen dropping and picking up passengers near the wildlife sanctuary.
Three other people who visited the zoo reportedly sustained serious injuries during the chimpanzee stampede. The two injured Americans were named as Gary Morris and Paul Gregory. The third man, who was also badly bitten by the apes, was a Canadian citizen named Donald Ford.
Minister Kaikai highlighted the fears of villagers who are currently residing in the vicinity of the sanctuary. Worried residents had to keep their children indoors over the weekend and warned that the chimps could kill them if no action is taken now.
It is reported that some visitors who had arrived early at the main gate of the sanctuary before opening time must have been the spark that ignited the sleeping chimps into action. The chimpanzees had earlier got out of their cages that Sunday morning and were moving around peacefully in a partially fenced area of the park.
Contrary to Reuters News Agency’s report that 70 chimpanzees were caged in the zoo, it was confirmed that there were actually only 30 chimps residing at the Tacugama Sanctuary which is situated near Guma Valley in Regent on the outskirts of Freetown.
On his part, the Director of the zoo, Bala Amarasekaran, is quoted as saying that some of the chimpanzees are territorial and can kill. “The chimps may have seen these people as intruders,” he noted.
Reuters reported that ten of the screaming chimps who had earlier escaped have been captured. But Minister Kaikai refuted these claims and asserted that none of the apes left their sanctuary.
Photo: Two of the Tacugama apes.
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