By Dennis Peprah
Duasidan, (Bono), March 04, GNA – Caretakers of the Duasidan Monkey Sanctuary in the Dormaa Municipality of the Bono Region have called for investments into the sanctuary to boost eco-tourism in the municipality.
They said the economic prospects of the sanctuary remained huge, saying investment into the habitat could fetch and widen the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency during a visit to the monkey sanctuary at Duasidan, a farming community, as the country marks the ‘Heritage Month’ Mr Kwabena Kumah, one of the caretakers of the creatures, regretted that despite the economic potential, successive governments had failed to develop the sanctuary.
The Heritage or Ghana Month, is to put the Ghanaian culture and heritage on a higher pedestal through the promotion of locally made products and showcasing the nation’s rich cuisine, music, fashion, history, ethnic and traditional diversity.
Mr Kumah said due to the poor condition of the sanctuary, patronage had gone down for some time now, and called for construction of washrooms, summer huts and recreational facilities.
He said besides the monkey sanctuary remained the pride and gave recognition to the community, and if properly managed, it could create job opportunities for the locals and generate revenue for the nation too.
Another caretaker, Mr Kwabena Kyeremeh who said he oversaw feeding the monkeys, added that the animals liked bananas, ripe plantains, cassava and other fruits, worrying that those food items had become scarce, and thereby making it difficult to feed the animals.
“Their feed is very scarce now. It’s often sad to see some of the young ones looking hungry and we need support to feed them”, he stated.
Mr Kyeremeh also expressed concern about the deplorable condition of the Dormaa-Ahenkro-Duasidan road, and called on the government to rehabilitate the stretch, saying the bad nature of the road also discouraged visitors too.
GNA