April 26, 2006 — Authorities in Sierra Leone are hunting for dozens of chimpanzees that escaped from a sanctuary near the capital of Freetown, killing one man and seriously injuring two tourists, a conservationist said this week Monday.

Sama Banya, president of the Sierra Leone Conservation Society, which runs the sanctuary, told reporters that "some of the chimps have been captured," but could not give numbers.

"We are doing everything possible to recover the rest of the chimps and to determine how they escaped," Banya said.

Scores of chimpanzees broke out of their enclosures Sunday, mauled a Sierra Leonean driver to death and seriously injured two U.S. visitors in what Banya described as the first incident of its kind at Sierra Leone's popular Tacugama Chimp Sanctuary, which was set up 10 years ago.

The primates "are not wild but their behavior was highly unusual," said Banya.

"These chimps have all been rescued from different people who had kept them as pets and they are not afraid of humans."

Initial investigations showed that when the sanctuary workers realized the chimpanzees were loose they went to the forest to try to recapture them, leaving the zoo unattended.

In the meantime the three visitors arrived unannounced with no guide.

"The loose chimps were possibly panicked in the confusion that followed and attacked the three visitors," he speculated.

"This is the first time this has happened in the 10 years that the sanctuary has been operating," he said.

The Sierra Leonean driver who worked for the U.S. embassy in Freetown was buried Monday while the two Americans were admitted to a privately run hospital in the capital.

The sanctuary is situated on a hill in dense rain forest south of Freetown, near Barthurst Village.

About 1,000 Barthurst villagers said they stayed up overnight Sunday fearing attacks from the chimpanzees.

"We were all so scared and counting hours for daylight to come on Monday," Bathurst village head Sally Johnson said Monday.

Tourism Minister Okere Adams said the government had secured the area to ensure the safety of both villagers and animals.

"We have taken all safety measures to ensure that both the chimps and people come to no harm. They will be recaptured and returned to the zoo," Adams told AFP.

"We are combing the area and beyond to bring the chimpanzees back but would not harm them," said a police officer on site.

Local radio stations are regularly broadcasting warnings to residents "to keep a safe distance and inform the sanctuary" if they sight a chimpanzee in their neighborhood.

The area is densely forested and the move to recapture them "would be enduring," according to one villager.

The 100-acre semi-wildlife reserve, housing some 80 animals, was set up in 1995 by a wildlife enthusiast to give a home to orphaned and abandoned chimpanzees.

The sanctuary has been temporarily closed.