Outamba-Kilimi National Park
Wildlife
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Outamba_Kilimi_3_Hippos_Sierra_Leone.jpg/220px-Outamba_Kilimi_3_Hippos_Sierra_Leone.jpg)
Wildlife includes primates such as chimpanzees, colobus monkeys and sooty mangabeys; hippopotamuses and pygmy hippos; elephants; common warthogs; rare bongo antelopes and over a hundred species of birds. The UN Environment Programme lists the Outamba Area as protected. More information can be seen as a map.
Susu
The Susu (or Soso) tribe live in and around the park and most park personnel are Susu. Some villages were originally in the park itself, but most agreed to move to the buffer zone. An exception was made for those who had ancestral sites and graves within the park. Those who remain have agreed to only harvest using sustainable methods. Mining and hunting are prohibited. The National Tourism Board is attempting to increase tourism in an effect to compensate them for the loss of revenue.
Buffer zone
There is a 1 km buffer zone around the park, where most of the villages are. The restrictions are less here. Hunting is allowed except for certain protected species, farming is practiced and areas of gmelina trees have been planted to replace the Parkland as a source of wood for use in making furniture, housing and firewood.
Facilities
Simple one bed and group huts are available to sleep in the park. These are made using local materials.
References
- ^ P G Munro,“Geza Teleki and the emergence of Sierra Leone’s wildlife conservation movement” Primate Conservation: 29(2015): 115-122.