Bonobo Handshake

Follow news of Lola, the bonobos and Ekolo on...

2011-03-18T21:20:00.003+01:00

To follow news of Lola, the Bonobos and the reintroduction at Ekolo please follow the link bellow:
http://www.friendsofbonobos.org/news/

You can also find us on facebook: "Friends of Bonobos"

BONOBO HANDSHAKE OUT NOW!

2010-04-25T16:19:00.003+02:00

Hey everyone - it's finally here! I'm just about to move the blog to Psychology Today. But to order your copy, see where I'm speaking, or just general bonobo news, visit www.bonobohandshake.com

There's still time!

2010-04-14T17:17:00.003+02:00

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-inner-bonobo/201004/primate-palooza-tonight

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-inner-bonobo/201004/primate-palooza-tonight

Primate Palooza tonight!

2010-04-14T14:08:00.003+02:00

Tonight, at Duke University in NC we are celebrating primates, especially bonobos.

Because bonobos get ignored back front and sideways as demostrated by this family tree:

which happens ALL the time (ironically this image was on the post "know your family tree" ) WHERE ARE BONOBOS???

So like the fat kid at school, to make up for all the times they are left out, forgotten, uninvited to the party, Claudine Andre will be coming to dedicate the evening to our long lost cousins.

If you don't come for bonobos, come for signed men's basketball memorabilia.

So if you're on Duke's campus, watch out for:

which is a lemur chasing a banana (we couldn't get a bonobo suit made in time). But come see for yourself.

What it takes to be a hero

2010-04-13T20:07:00.000+02:00

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-inner-bonobo/201004/what-it-takes-be-hero

almost forgot!

2010-04-12T09:54:00.002+02:00

Brian said he spent hours with Lomela at the release site - and she's doing great!

i told him to get photos but he lost his camera (idiot) so you'll just have to take my word for it for now. will try and rummage up some photos soon...

more on the basankusu party

2010-04-09T09:48:00.001+02:00

Just got some more photos from Suzy at the release site. She writes:

Our education program at the release site has been going great! We had t-shirts made with the Ekolo ya bonobo logo on it and had a great public parade - check out all the bonobo females in a line.

We've been keeping in close contact with local officials to tell them why bonobos are important and not to forget them! We've been broadcasting on local radio, telling them especially why bonobo females are so important to bonobo society:)

Claudine coming to America! Attention North Carolina!

2010-04-08T17:24:00.002+02:00

Internationally renowned conservationist Claudine André will visit Duke University April 14-18 as part of the "Primate Palooza," an effort to raise awareness for our primate relatives.

André founded and runs the world's only sanctuary and release program for orphaned bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bonobos, like chimpanzees, are our closest living relative and are highly endangered. However, unlike chimpanzees and humans, bonobos are the only ape that has found a way to maintain peace in their groups.

When bonobos have a disagreement with each other they tend to hug or share food instead of having a fight. Bonobos have never been observed to kill each other and females cooperate to prevent males from bullying smaller bonobos. Ironically, this peaceful ape only lives in one country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been torn apart by almost a decade of war that has killed more than five million people.

André was given an orphan bonobo called Mikeno when she was caring for abandoned animals at the Kinshasa zoo during the war. She collected food from local restaurants to feed Mikeno and other starving animals while starting kindness clubs to teach Congolese children about animals. Further north, soldiers were shooting bonobos for food, and before long, she was flooded with bonobo orphans.

"I wanted a paradise for my bonobos," Claudine says. "Somewhere they would always be fed and taken care of. Somewhere they could always see the sky."

She established Lola ya Bonobo in 2001 in a forest just outside Kinshasa, the capital city of Congo. Since the sanctuary has opened her non-profit "friends of bonobos" has funded the visits of tens of thousands of children to the bonobo sanctuary.

In 2009, André enlisted the help of Duke students and faculty in the Evolutionary Anthropology Department to aid her efforts to release bonobos orphaned by the illegal pet and bush meat trade back into the wild.

"Having Claudine here at Duke is a wonderful opportunity to share with students and the general public the difference a single individual can make," says Duke researcher Brian Hare. "Claudine has done more for bonobo conservation than anyone else in the world. If you want to meet a conservation heroine this is your chance."

Duke's Primate Palooza will run from April 14th - 17th. The main events open to the public are as follows:

Primate Symposium: Why you need to know you are a primate
5-8 p.m., Wednesday, April 14

Duke faculty studying primates will discuss how knowing you're a primate can improve your life. Keynote speaker Claudine André will speak about her work saving bonobos and defending the world's last great tropical forest in the Congo Basin. A silent auction including Duke Men's basketball, Duke Lemur Center, and Bonobo memorabilia will be held to benefit "Friends of Bonobos."

Love Auditorium
Levine Research Science Center
308 Research Drive
Duke University
Durham, NC, 27708
Public Parking available in Bryan Center on Science Drive a short walk from Center
Contact: Kara Schroepfer, k.schroepfer@duke.edu, 919-943-3482

A night with Claudine André and the bonobos of Congo
6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 15
Durham Museum of Life and Science
433 Murray Avenue, Durham, NC 27704
Contact: Darcy Lewandowski, Darcy.Lewandowski@ncmls.org, (919) 220 -5429 x372

party in basankusu

2010-04-07T09:40:00.001+02:00

The bonobo release had a party to celebrate the success of the release! It was a great opportunity to get the local community involved in the celebration and spread awareness...

'Can animals be gay?' - are you serious NYT?

2010-04-06T15:03:00.000+02:00

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-inner-bonobo/201004/can-animals-be-gay-are-you-serious-nyt

A goodbye handshake

2010-04-05T09:08:00.000+02:00

So my hubby Brian is a hard science kind of guy, and he doesn't usually get into the whole anthropomorphism, huggy state that i do with the bonobos.

but before he left the release site, something happened that really moved him.

Etumbe, the alpha female, came to the door before the exit. She didn't try to escape, and she had never approached Brian before. He'd been there for a week. But it was the last day, and how she knew, Brian has no idea. But she sat by the door, and took his hand, shaking it, as if to say 'good-bye, thanks for coming'.

It was just so human-like, and so touching. Brian hasn't stopped talking about it since.

What's a bonobo?

2010-04-02T14:43:00.000+02:00

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-inner-bonobo/201004/whats-bonobo

Beni at the release site

2010-04-02T09:47:00.003+02:00

My husband Brian was just at the release site, looking at the potential to do long term studies there with the released bonobos.

He followed some of the released bonobos for a while, which was a nex experience for him because usually, he's on the other side of the fence - in fact Brian's never been in the same space as a bonobo bigger than a 5 year old before.

Anyway, Beni, who he always plays with was there. The trackers were discouraging contact but Beni wouldn't have anything of it! He lay on his back and started laughing, which is the cue for Brian to start tickling him. Brian didn't want to make contact, since the bonobos are in traiing to be independent from humans, but Beni woulnd't let up, he just lay on his back on the ground, laughing hysterically in anticipation that Brian would start tickling him...

Brian said it was just about the cutest thing he'd ever seen...

back online

2010-04-01T19:26:00.002+02:00

Hi everyone,

sorry i was offline for so long, leaving you with no updates on the bonobos! i had a small medical issue and i took a while to get better but i'm back online.

Also, i started another blog at Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-inner-bonobo

I think it's a great opportunity to bring bonobos to a wider audience, so I'm happy they invited me to be on the blog roll.

and i'll be linking there posts to this blog, hope you guys don't mind. Today's is:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-inner-bonobo/201004/clash-the-titans-is-worthington-worth-it

have fun reading!

a little dip

2010-03-01T01:02:00.000+01:00

Temperatures at Lola can hit 90oF with 100% humidity. Here is Manono, our Olympic swimmer having a little dip

photo: David Reid

Bigfoot has hair

2010-02-26T00:54:00.000+01:00

Not sure if you remember the furore of the bigfoot photo
where someone actually took my photos and entered it into a bigfoot competition! but now the original bigfoot, Bandundu, has finally grown some hair. Which is lucky b/c now her baby has something to hold onto!
photo: David Reid

smelling the lilies?

2010-02-24T00:48:00.000+01:00

I always love photos of the photos with the lilies - they look so romantic - liek htey're just inhaling their faint heady scent. But actually it's the scene before they chomp them up - which doesn't look so romantic - petals shredded everywhere. I've heard of bonobos foraging for pith (the bit inside the lily stem)- that ties into Richard Wrangham's theory of the aquatic ape. And bonobos do hae a bit of webbing between their 2nd and 3rd toe.

But I haven't heard of them eating flowers before...

photo: David Reid

Bisengo the little prince

2010-02-22T00:39:00.001+01:00

This is little Bisengo, who I have known since he was born. He is the perfect example of an alpha bonobo. So we usually say that the females are in charge of bonobo groups, but actually it the babies - especially a little prince like Bisengo who can get anything he wants! If there is a grape within even 10 feet of Bisengo, it's his, no matter who else is around!

Bisengo is quite a little climber - maybe a prime candidate for the release project?

David Reid

2010-02-19T00:32:00.000+01:00

I have some photos I've been meaning to post from David Reid who went to Lola a few months ago. I've post them all over the next few weeks!

This is Makali, a bonobo rescued from a biomedical centre. He has somethign to say!

Noki and baby...

2010-02-17T00:22:00.001+01:00

Noki and her baby are in wonderful health! they've been released into the enclosures. Noki is nursing her baby well and protecting her from slapping branches and the sun. but she is also very proud and loves to show the baby to the other bonobos!

Noki & Val

2010-02-14T00:16:00.000+01:00

ooo - i got this photo from Val when Noki just arrived at Lola. Val is a volunteer at Lola - and has been for 15 years. She works practically full time handling Lola's accounts - the sanctuary wouldn't run without her. She comes in to Lola almost every day, for no recognition or reward other than helping the bonobos. We love you Val! and look at little Noki and those huge black eyes.

and then here is Val helping Noki give birth - 10 years later!

we share so much with these bonobos, they become so much a part of our lives. Val has been sending photos like crazy - she is a very proud grandmother.

Noki's baby

2010-02-12T00:15:00.000+01:00

Ok back to Lola now and I'm a little behind on all the news - but Noki had a baby!!

Noki is one of the cat burglers at Lola - she is also a prolific tool user - which bonobos haven't been seen to do in the wild, fyi. once she used a long stick to steal my camera bag.

noki is also one of the smartest bonobos in all the experiments we do - she is so wildly interested in all the tests and sometimes we have trouble getting her out of the testing room!

now she has a baby!!

Fanny the vet was there for the whole thing, and so was Valerie, who was there when Noki was first rescued...

ooo, there are just baby bonobos everywhere, they make me so clucky!!

Lola's bonobos in the news!!

2010-02-11T04:27:00.000+01:00

It's a great week for bonobos in the news this week and these very bonobos were from Lola!! This is the work Tory (Victoria) was doing in Lola in 2007 with the drool...

http://bonobohandshake.blogspot.com/2007/09/bonobos-drool-for-tory.html

i like this one better than the cannibalism story...

Peter Pan ways make bonobos the most amiable of apes

Bonobos are the Peter Pans of the jungle. The amiable apes hold onto their youthful ways far longer into adulthood than chimpanzees, while some childish traits never vanish, a new study shows.

This difference may explain why bonobos are less aggressive and more social than chimps, says Victoria Wobber, a primatologist at Harvard University...

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18443-peter-pan-ways-make-bonobos-the-most-amiable-of-apes.html

one more...

2010-02-09T23:25:00.000+01:00

ok, just one more pic of Lukaya being a good mom!! when bonobos spend too much time with humans, they tend to reject their young. we had that problem with Mimi, who lived with a human family for 15 years, and rejected every one of her babies.

we're not sure how much time Lukaya spent with humans before she made it to Lola, but it can't have been too long because she is a wonderful mother! Of course, she does have Etumbe to look up to!

Look at Lukaya shielding her baby from the sun! I can't help but feel proud of her...

Bonobo cannibalism?

2010-02-09T04:18:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone, check this out:

Wild bonobo mother ape eats own infant in DR Congo

By Matt Walker
Editor, Earth News

A wild bonobo has been seen cannibalising her own recently deceased two and a half-year-old infant

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8487000/8487138.stm

this result is amazing.

nothing like this has been ever been seen like this before, that I know of, but Gottfried's work is excellent, so this is super exciting. just last year they saw meat eating in bonobos, which had also never been seen before.

i wonder if the infant was killed by a high ranking male.

we've never seen anything like this in the sanctuary. the last time I saw an infant die, the mother held onto it for days and the keepers had trouble taking the body away.

results like gottfried's illustrate the complexity of bonobo social behavior and the necessity of further research on thee amazing creatures.

Nsomi & Motema

2010-02-07T23:12:00.000+01:00

Nsomi, the first born at the release site, is quite fascinated with Motema - the latest addition to the release group.(I just love Nsomi's little face btw... i just want to pinch those cheeks!!)

Nsomi is always touching Motema, softly patting her head or gently stroking her face.

Hopefully the two will become fast friends and look out for each other in the wild forests of Congo.

Lola's bonobos in the news!!

2010-02-05T09:04:00.001+01:00

This just came out in New Scientist. Not only was the work done by our research group, but it was also done at Lola!

Don't forget to watch the totally cute video of Eleke and Sake! and the bonobo in the photo is Semendwa!

Sharing apes: what bonobos have in common with us

If you were drawing up a guest list for an animal dinner party, sex-mad bonobos might not be your first choice, especially as they have recently been shown to cannibalise their own offspring.

But at least they will share food with strangers.

Till now it was thought that humans were the only primates to share food in this way. Chimps, for example, won't do it. But Brian Hare of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and Suzy Kwetuenda of the Lola Ya Bonobo refuge for orphaned bonobos in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have now shows that bonobos will also "freely" share.

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18477-sharing-apes-what-bonobos-have-in-common-with-us.html

little Motema

2010-02-04T23:11:00.000+01:00

Just wanted to take a moment to celebrate that the bonobos at the release site are going so well!! 2 babies!! it's absolutely wonderful.

Both the ladies Etumbe and Lukaya were pregnant before they went to the release site and the fact that they gave birth so effortlessly just goes to show how well they are adapting to their new home.

Next step - a real wild baby - conceived and given birth at Ekolo - that is the sign that a release project is REALLY successful - that the bonobos are reproducing.

fingers crossed!

release site: from Zannah

2010-02-03T02:04:00.000+01:00

The village people are being very positive for supporting the project. when i was there, the villagers oragnised their own 'welcome' party for Suzy (who is running the release site at the moment), they all came, drums, dancing and singing, to celebrate the coming of Suzy. They were generous in giving lots of presents, such as sugar cane and chickens, something especially touching when it comes from people with so little

the release site - this says it all...

2010-02-01T02:01:00.000+01:00

release fruit from the zannah

2010-01-29T01:57:00.000+01:00

The bonobos are becoming quite the foragers in the forest!

Here's some of the fruit bonobos eat there. They love these red fruits, Tondolo! They find them in the forest too.

lomela - From Zannah

2010-01-27T01:54:00.000+01:00

All those anxious Lomela mothers - here is some news from Zannah:

'Here's just a few more pics- one of your favourite little forest lady Lomela. Lomela is on great form up there. When she arrived she was pretty nervous, it was a big change! But now she's grown much more confident. But she understands about not approaching people anymore, she respects distance. But its a bit of a different story when she's up in the trees, there she really gets picks up her cheekiness, selecting appropriate branches and leaves to shake, there is always a shower of debris when Lomela is above you in the trees!'

Second baby bonobo born at the release site

2010-01-26T22:58:00.001+01:00

It's a girl!

this is from Gladez, our UK volunteer:

Lukaya gave birth to a healthy little female on the 9th of January 2010! Second baby for Ekolo ya Bonobo, and first baby of this new year! "Motema ya Ekolo" (the heart of Ekolo)

Of course within days her head had already been plucked of all its beautiful little hairs and now it has spread to full body!!! But Lukaya is a great mum, letting her daughter suckle as much as she wants and in fact the first few times I saw her that was all she was doing!

The other bonobos are doing well, Etumbe and Lukaya stay close to one another. For walks in the forest the group had slowed down to Lukaya's new rhythm as she had to hold the baby with one hand when she walked, this led the trackers on very slow walks which basically where a large arch around the enclosure from morning to evening, but now the baby is nice and strong and holding on tight so the pace has picked up again! Little Nsomi (Etumbe's baby) is growing day by day, curious as to this new little friend. She is starting to eat the beya shoots, and particularly enjoys taking them from her mothers mouth.

Here are photos of Lukaya and Motema, as well as one of Nsomi, who is just too cute even though she has no hair!!!!

hugs

Gladez

Mama Claudine

2010-01-25T01:47:00.000+01:00

Claudine, for those of you who don't know, is the heart and soul of Lola. Born in Belgium, she has lived in Congo since she was 3, and she is known throughout Kinshasa for her fiery red hair.

I have never in my life met a more selfless, kind, dedicated person. She is an inspiration. That's all.

new baby...

2010-01-22T00:23:00.000+01:00

ok, i'm a bit out of the loop - Lola has a new orphan and I don't know their name! Or their story! Have written to ask, even thought I know her story will be the same as everyone else's story - her mother was shot by poachers, and she was taken from her mother's body to be sold, either in Congo or int eh black market to US, Europe, or the Middle East.

The ministry confiscated the orphan and sent her to Lola, where she now has a new chance.

Isn't she adorable! i just want to hug her!

kinshasa the bush baby grows up

2010-01-20T00:08:00.000+01:00

Does anyone remember Kinshasa? You can read the posts about her arrival and various antics here: (scroll down past chuppa chups)

http://bonobohandshake.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html

well Rob Leyland from the British Embassy has sent photos!! and she looks so beautiful and big!! I just love seeing the bonobos grow up year after year.

Kinshasa just had an unbreakable spirit. who knows what she went through after she lost her mother and was kidnapped from the forest - but from the minute she arrived at Lola, she was just so full of life and joy - so different to some of the orphans that arrive that take months of rehabilitation!

she is soooooo beautiful!!! even if she did make me chase her round the sanctuary for hours!!

Fanny...

2010-01-17T00:01:00.000+01:00

Gosh, I don't know if i've had time to announce our new vet - Fanny! It's really hard to find a great vet who wants to live in one of the most dangerous countries in the world and take care of a bunch of 60 hairy orphans, so Fanny is just a gift.

It is a little known fact that bonobos prefer human women to men. God knows why - maybe because it was almost certainly a man who shot their mothers, but even the new born babies who were not orphaned seem to prefer women to men.

The difference in their attitudes is just extraordinary. A male vet just has such a time sneaking up to the bonobos with needles and creams and medicines - the bonobos always seem a little suspicious - but with a woman - they are completely different. As you can see, the bonobos just seem to melt when Fanny is around. Doesn't hurt that apparently she is georgeous!

yay for Fanny! thanks for helping the bonobos!

are chimps so bad?

2010-01-15T15:40:00.003+01:00

Blackbird wrote:

'I like bonobos as much as the next thing, but, why demonising chimps at the minimum opportunity? True, chimps occasionally kill other chimps, but this is not an everyday behaviour. Male chimps hunt, but then there is sharing between the hunters, and also meat is given to females. Chimps have also been observed to share tools for nut cracking. I find that the constant demonising of chimps does no good to this blog. It is like humans where referred as murderers constantly.'

It's true Blackbird - I am guilty of playing this up, and maybe I go overboard. I love chimpanzees. I worked with them before I even knew what a bonobo was, and just like us, they are capable of love, kindness, grief - and all the other 'higher' human emotions.

But what I get sick of, is people just knowing about bonobos for their sexual behavior. The point I'm trying to make (perhaps unsuccessfully) is that bonobos are so much more than a horny version of a chimpanzees. Because chimps, for all their good points, still share the darker side of ourselves. Bonobos, despite being as closely related to us, as chimps, have managed to find a way to live without war, murder, and infantacide. And that is what makes them so special, not penis fencing or g-g rubbing.

The other reason I keep harping on the potential of murderous violence in chimps is that PEOPLE IN THE USA STILL WANT TO BUY ONE AS A PET. Chimps, to most Americans, are the cute little 3 year olds dressed up in clothes on television, not the 200 pound adolescents who will happily tear your face off. I have worked with chimps for almost 10 years now, and I can tell you that there is a rage in them, especially in adolescent males, that is sometimes impossible for them to control.

This doesn't mean they aren't special, wonderful creatures worth saving - just other animals with predatory streaks, like tigers or lions. But this side of chimpanzees is so often ignored that I wanted to make sure people are aware of it.

But I've probably been leaning too heavily to one side, so I'll try to be more balanced in the future...

And just to prove it - here is Tatango (the bonobo) in a magnificent, angry charge!

i love the wet season...

2010-01-14T23:55:00.000+01:00

these photos were taken by Rob Leyland from the British embassy when it was pouring during the wet season. I love the wet season coz everything looks so lush and green - but i'm amazed rob snapped these pics and still didn't get his camera wet - when it rains, it really really rains. it's like being at the bottom of the waterfall.

here are some randoms, of the bonobos enjoying the lush greenery...

opala - the alpha of all alphas

2010-01-12T23:41:00.000+01:00

i realise i've never said much about opala, because she is so hard to photograph, so i'm very grateful to Rob Leyland from the British embassy for taking these photos!

Opala, is the number one top dog of group 1. She is one tough cookie, and belies the concept that bonobos are supposed to be peaceful! i have seen her chase petit bonobo garcons right up trees, screaming, and occasionally one of the big males.

Look at her face - does it look like a face you want to mess with?

Even though Opala may not be a nice alpha, the important thing is that she IS an alpha. There are so few female-dominated societies. Hyenas are one, but female hyenas are as beefed up as the males, and they also have penises. Female black widow spiders eat their mates, but they are four times bigger.

And even though Opala may be a biatch (i can say that, right? Tyra banks says it on her show) she doesn't kill anyone, like a dominant alpha chimpanzee, and even the not so dominant chimps. So let Opala chase the little boys up trees, as long as instills a healthy respect for girl power and stops them from growing into big bullies.

thanks to the brits for the pencil thief photos (and others)

2010-01-11T23:11:00.000+01:00

Lola had a visit from the British Embassy and ROB LEYLAND took most of the beautiful photos that will come up over the next few weeks. Thank you Rob!

And here is Luozi, terror of the nursery, now newly graduated. I know every time I talk about the nursery I mention a new terror, but Luozi is a very special case. It is hard to be mad at him because he has a weak heart - if he gets upset you can see it fluttering inside his chest!

But during my observational studies of the nursery, Luozi would without fail, steal my pencil . every single day, it was unbelievable. He lurks in the bushes, pretending he is playing with his friends and has not the slightest interest in the shiny yellow instrument I move with such concentration over my paper.

Like a curveball, he sneaks around at an angle, knowing I can’t see him as he approaches. He waits until I am distracted by the activity of the other bonobos, then, at the speed of light, he flashes past me, swipes my pencil, and runs off to hide his booty. Mama Yvonne calls his name furiously, and he drops his spoil someplace where it is impossible to retrieve, preferably in a big pile of poop. Then he scoots away, chuckling.

Makes it very hard to do my observations. So I am now happy to announce that Luozi has graduated to group 3 - with the brand new fence that Jim Holtz built!! Ha! research should be so much easier now!

comments

2010-01-08T09:01:00.000+01:00

for everyone who's wondering why i don't respond more to comments - it's coz of the spammers!! i get seriously a bout 100 spam comments a day, which i guess is good coz it means the blog is popular? but if i'm not responsive - that's why - coz it takes hours just to take off the spam!

does anyone have a solution? i'll try find your answer among the spamming!

chimpanzee funeral

2010-01-07T23:03:00.000+01:00

I've been meaning to show this to you for a while, it's about a chimpanzee funeral in Sierra Leone:

http://pasa.createsend3.com/T/ViewEmail/r/65D7A5EE9DA2BC2B/B6E4D81F416F79FEF6A1C87C670A6B9F

I think it's funny that some researchers still question an animal's ability to experience true grief. Everyone who has a dog knows that animals are capable of great emotion, so for apes, who are so closely related to us, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

I remember seeing a bonobo die at Lola, it was Lipopo, and several of the other bonobos, inlcuding Mimi, clung to his dead body and refused to let go. Even when the vet turned up with a dart gun, which looks like a gun, right? Which was the last thing these orphans saw before their mothers were killed, they still wouldn't let the body go. I still cry every time I see the video.

And some people say that because humans are the only ones who cry tears, only we can feel true sorrow, true grief. If that's true, then it's us and crocodiles, because their eyes leak salt water too.

I truly believe that bonobos understand death, and they mourn it, like we do.

Watch y'all think?

thank you to everyone

2010-01-05T23:01:00.001+01:00

Hi everyone, and hope your first 5 days of the new year have been wonderful!

I just wanted to say a special thank you to all our donors last year.

We raised over $30,000 through the Friends of Bonobos website, and over $6,400 from our Wildlife Direct Donors. As some of you know, we had a serious flu last year, where we lost quite a few bonobos, and at the same time, a donor pulled out, leaving us short for bonobo food - and it would have been so hard to make it, if it hadn't been for all of you.

So thank you all so much, for helping the bonobos! Bonobos don't have that many friends in the world, so we're just so grateful that you're all friends of bonobos.

Here's to a great 2010!

xxVanessa.

happy new year!

2009-12-31T23:24:00.000+01:00

our brand new fence for the brand new year!

2009-12-29T23:15:00.003+01:00

Our physicist friend, Jim Holtz, made a very generous donation this year which enabled us to build a brand new fence for group 3! we desperately needed it, since some of the bonobos were escaping and causing havoc, but as you can see from the pictures - no escape artist is going to make it out now!

I'm including ALL the photos, because even though once upon a time i might have thought fences were boring, when you have 12 little trouble makers, including Boyoma, to keep contained, I think this fence is the most beautiful creation I've ever seen!

Thank you Jim, for helping us!

Nsomi, little hope of Ekolo

2009-12-23T09:01:00.002+01:00

If this face doesn't make you want to adopt a bonobo for xmas - i don't know what will!

The first bonobo born at the release site, she is the hope for our future and the joy in our hearts!

Looking for original present ideas for Christmas? Why not a bonobo gift-donation or gift-adoption? or a Friends of bonobos t-shirt, hat or mug? Visit our website www.friendsofbonobos.org/support.htm for more information or shop on-line at www.cafepress.com/BonoboFriends and www.cafepress.com/Lolayabonobo

yikes...

2009-12-22T20:09:00.003+01:00

from nat geo.

if only they would be more responsible about the exploitation of endangered species in the US (that would be Hollywood chimps Nat Geo!)

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/01/asian-wildlife/leong-photography

grubs? yum!

2009-12-21T09:01:00.000+01:00

following up on maybe supplementing the diet of the release bonobos, one of the trackers spent a while teaching Kubulu (aka GPS) about forest delicacies - grubs! yum!

Don't forget to adopt a bonobo for xmas! www.friendsofbonobos.org/support.htm

s

2009-12-18T18:08:00.001+01:00

update from suzy

2009-12-18T09:01:00.001+01:00

Hello everyone!

It's my great pleasure to confirm that there are now six bonobos at the release site at Basankusu. Now that the pesky Max isn't displaying his dominance every five minutes (well he probably is, but back at Lola) we can follow the bonobs in the forest and conduct scientific observations.

The organisation of the group hasn't changed except Beni has gone up a bit since Mas has gone.

We maintain at least 3 ft distance from the bonobos, and take care not to disturb them. We also thought of changing their diet by reducing sugar cane more fruit, so they don't eat too much - without of course leaving them hungry, especially Etumbe with her new baby and Lukaya with a baby on the way! those ladies love to eat!

The local population of Baskankusu loves to come and see the bonobos. We'd like the bonobos to keep appearing on the beach ot take the opportunity to teach the people about bonobos and dispel some myths - like the one where the bonobos poop diamonds!

The most important thing is that the bonobos are not stressed. they take our presence calmly and they trust us.
They are also all in good health, which is a blessing!

real release baby?

2009-12-17T09:01:00.000+01:00

'Lukaya is great, she has a huge swollen belly! the baby is soon on the way'

that's the news flash - does that mean this will be the first baby born in the wild??

waiting with baited breath!

Adopt a bonobo for xmas!

2009-12-16T23:13:00.000+01:00

Don't forget to think of the Lola bonobos for Xmas! I've been getting mail from the moonbears and the gorilla fund about xmas donations, so I just wanted to remind you - whether it's a bonobo or another charity - sponsoring an animal or giving a donation on behalf of someone else is a way better idea than giving them a tacky gift they don't want!

www.friendsofbonobos.org/support.htm

exploreorg.com

2009-12-14T23:35:00.000+01:00

Taking a quick break from bonobo land to give you all a bit of wildlife eye candy:

explore is a multimedia organization that documents leaders around the world who have devoted their lives to extraordinary causes. Both educational and inspirational, explore creates a portal into the soul of humanity by championing the selfless acts of others.

Which basically means you can watch amazing wildlife documentaries and plaster your desktop with award winning images. So if anyone is procrastinating b/c it's xmas - check out exploreorg.com

i loved the gorillas:

http://exploreorg.com/videos/player/rwanda-gorillas-986-human

all they need is bonobos!

GPS

2009-12-14T22:50:00.000+01:00

Kubulu is one of the release bonobos, Zannah and the tracking team have started to call him 'GPS' because he acts as their guide in the forest.

'he always checks that we are ok and not lost. I went on a forest patrol to check in the forest with some ecoguards, and Kubulu came for the whole 6hrs- he really thought he was part of the team!'

Here is the GPS in action

The first release baby going strong...

2009-12-11T22:41:00.000+01:00

Etumbe's baby, the very first baby born on the release project - is doing great! Her name is Nsomi and she's a very vocal young lady, always doing mini-hoots and grunts.

She's the darling of everyone, here she is on bonobo beach with everyone making a big fuss over her.

And guess who that is, right behind Etumbe??? LOMELA!!! look how big she is! and she's so sweet to the baby, she's always petting and stroking her.

Full reintroduction report

2009-12-10T20:10:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone,

We have the pleasure of sharing with you this short update on the reintroduction of a first group of bonobos, rehabilitated at LOLA YA BONOBO, in the swampy primary forest of the DRC, at a place we have named EKOLO YA BONOBO ("the land of bonobos"). We had been preparing the reintroduction for several years now and the release of this first group is a landmark in our efforts. It is the first time ever that bonobos are reintroduced in their former habitat, and by all accounts the results are very encouraging....

On behalf of Claudine and the EKOLO and LOLA teams, we wish you a pleasant reading.

http://www.friendsofbonobos.org/news/?p=825

Looking for original present ideas for Christmas? Why not a bonobo gift-donation or gift-adoption? or a Friends of bonobos t-shirt, hat or mug? Visit our website www.friendsofbonobos.org/help for more information or shop on-line at www.cafepress.com/BonoboFriends and www.cafepress.com/lolayabonobo

Released bonobos back at Lola?

2009-12-08T18:41:00.000+01:00

I've had a couple of people write me and ask what the bonobos who were released were doing back at Lola - I'm sorry I didn't explain very well.

Max, beautiful Max with his long flowing locks, was a little more trouble than we thought. We had assumed that the bonobos would be afraid of the forest, so that human presence or post-release monitoring would prove reassuring. In practice, the released bonobos dapted surprisingly easily to their new environment, showing no sign of fear. In
particular, Max immediately started displaying towards intruders in “his” territory, before alming down and coming for a contact with known staff. Max similarly displays towards bonobos, but they seem to largely ignore his shows and simply get out of his way. The new trackers were notably more impressed and this delayed initial post-release monitoring
efforts.

When an intruding villager was bitten in August while fishing for eel right next to the isolation enclosure, it was decided to remove the three bonobos who were showing more potential aggressiveness and return them to LOLA, so that
the trackers could start effectively monitoring the group before the seasonal rise in river water risked dispersing the bonobos further away into the forest. On October 19-20, Max, Lisala and Lomami were transported back to LOLA YA BONOBO and reintegrated their former groups without any trouble – like they just went on a short holidays.

Max wasted no time running around having sex with all the females as soon as he was home. I thought a romance between he and Lomela was developing at the release site, but they don't seem to miss each other too much:)

Now with the remaining 6 bonobos at the release site - everything is fine. The trackers can follow them into the forest, and we can finally start gathering important data on their post release habits!

zannah #2

2009-12-07T22:38:00.000+01:00

Now that the big bonobos are back at Lola, we are able to enter the forest and walk with them, thats been fantastic. I have been teaching the team how to use GPS so now they can mark where the bonobos go for nests and where they walk to. We started off the process very gently, alloweing them time to get used to us. We did’ presentations’ on the beach, so they knew we were their friends. Etumbe and Suzy really are great pals, and Etumbe at the beginning, came to Suzy to make contact and check everything was ok. Then all was well- important to keep the female alliances!

from zannah

2009-12-04T22:01:00.000+01:00

"I just got back, and had an great time. There has been a lot of progress these last few weeks. As i think you know, Max Lomami and Lisala returned to Lola 2 weeks ago. They have come back for a bit of a summer-camp, and are happy to see Lola again. The idea is to have a new island for them, set up like Lola, where they can stay in safety but in their natural mileu."

My monkey baby...

2009-12-03T09:01:00.000+01:00

Just got this alert from Madeline:

I'm one of the many lurkers you have around your blog.
"My Monkey Baby", a new show on TLC, glorifies the keeping of monkeys as children. The show airs on October 4 and chronicles a couple who keep a capuchin as a “pet” but treat the monkey as their daughter. The couple dresses the monkey, who they have named Jessica Marie, in designer clothes, put makeup on her, and buy her children’s toys.
I think it is truly terrible. TLC's programming is mostly trash nowadays but this is a bit over the top - and could increase the number of apes in private hands in the US. Born Free USA already has a post set up about it, and the show's preview video is available in the feminist site Jezebel. I know you have your hands full (and then some) but it would be really cool if you could spread the word out to people that might have the means to prevent this show from becoming a permanent TLC fixture.

You can watch the preview here:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/monkey-babies-couples-treat-adopted-monkids-children/story?id=8723105

Please write to http://extweb.discovery.com/viewerrelations and speak out about My Monkey Baby.

You can cut and paste this into your email:

Dear Discovery networks,

I am concerned about your show, My Monkey Baby.

Primates are not domesticated animals. While a tiny percentage of pet dogs will bite a human, all primates will readily bite a human.

ALL primates potentially carry diseases deadly to humans including Herpes B, Yellow Fever, Monkeypox, Ebola virus, Marburg virus, SIV, HIV and Tuberculosis.

Most primates are highly endangered. It is illegal to own, purchase or sell primates in Africa. Unfortunately, an international trade rages in Africa –- including the sale of primates. Hunters shoot mothers and sell their bodies as meat to rich city dwellers who can afford the luxury. They pull babies off the backs of their dead mothers to sell in the markets as pets. However, these pet traders are doing nothing worse than what is done in the United States legally: baby primates are pulled off their mothers’ backs and sold as pets.

Primate ownership in the US is hypocritical when we are trying to conserve them in the wild.

Please remove My Monkey Baby from your programming.

Sincerely,

a monkey breeder wrote me today...

2009-12-02T16:16:00.001+01:00

This was in my inbox this morning:

Vanesse,

While you most certainly have the right to express your opinion against primate ownership, you do however not have the rights to steal the content from our site to publish on your blog. Unless you have explicit permission from the owners of the pictures, you do not have the right to repost them on your site as you should know as a blogger. I’m sure you would not appreciate it if we would start publishing your pictures on our site. Please remove any stolen content from our site at once. I’ve already alerted some of the people involved to file a DMCA violation against you.

Thank you for your time!
Johan
www.primatestore.com

Between my three blogs I have thousands of readers (probably why they are concerned), many of you are faithful followers. So I'm asking you one thing that will really be of help to endangered primates all over the world:

From now on I'll be posting links to these monkey breeding websites. Please go, visit them, and when you're done, send your congress member the sandard format letter I'll have on the post.

How can we protect endangered animals in their indigenous countries if we in the US can buy and sell them as we please? How can we implore an African not to buy and sell chimpanzees and bonobos if we do exactly that?

I'll soon have a whole new website, where all this information will be in one place. Every time an add using a monkey, chimp, or other primate appears in the media I'll have the name and contact of the person in the company who hired them for you to write to. Every time a new primate is for sale on one of these websites, I'll have the link, so you can see these infant primates who will grow up to bite, dressed in clothes. Spread the word, write to your representatives and together we can keep primates in the wild where they belong.

By the way, this might interest you all:

http://jezebel.com/5021076/primetime-exposes-the-dangers-of-satisfying-baby-lust-with-monkeys

Thank you for your support, everyone.

little vanga passed away

2009-12-01T22:00:00.002+01:00

I'm not sure if I've written much about Vanga, the little terror of the nursery, but sadly he died a few days ago. I just got this note from Pierrot, our Education Manager at the sanctuary:

'The keepers heard a noise that a bonobo had fallen hard through a tree and the branch had broken. The bonobo cried out. Vanga was gravely hurt. His Mama Yvonne took him in her arms and tried to revive him, but he died a few hours later from loss of blood.'

I've known Vanga since he basically arrived at the sanctuary when he was 2 years old. He turned from a shy, scared little bonobo into king of the nursery. No one - soldier, ambassador, nun - could go into the nursery without Vanga's permission.

I'll miss him. Here is my favorite photo of him with Mama Yvonne

primate trafficker: Wild Animal World

2009-11-25T16:07:00.002+01:00

http://www.wildanimalworld.com/

Please help STOP the trafficking in primates:

Please, please everyone, write to your congress representative here:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

And copy and paste this message:

Dear Senator,

I would like to support the

The Captive Primate Safety Act

Primates are not domesticated animals. While a tiny percentage of pet dogs will bite a human, all primates will readily bite a human.

ALL primates potentially carry diseases deadly to humans including Herpes B, Yellow Fever, Monkeypox, Ebola virus, Marburg virus, SIV, HIV and Tuberculosis.

Most primates, including chimpanzees, are highly endangered. It is illegal to own, purchase or sell primates in Africa. Unfortunately, an international trade rages in Africa –- including the sale of primates. Hunters shoot mothers and sell their bodies as meat to rich city dwellers who can afford the luxury. They pull babies off the backs of their dead mothers to sell in the markets as pets. However, these pet traders are doing nothing worse than what is done in the United States legally: baby primates are pulled off their mothers’ backs and sold as pets.

Primate ownership in the US is hypocritical when we are trying to conserve them in the wild.

I support this bill, and I urge you to do the same,

Sincerely,

Another monkey trafficker: Goyette Exotics

2009-11-23T16:02:00.002+01:00

www.goyetteexotics.com

Please help STOP the trafficking in primates:

Please, please everyone, write to your congress representative here:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

And copy and paste this message:

Dear Senator,

I would like to support the

The Captive Primate Safety Act

Primates are not domesticated animals. While a tiny percentage of pet dogs will bite a human, all primates will readily bite a human.

ALL primates potentially carry diseases deadly to humans including Herpes B, Yellow Fever, Monkeypox, Ebola virus, Marburg virus, SIV, HIV and Tuberculosis.

Primate ownership in the US is hypocritical when we are trying to conserve them in the wild.

I support this bill, and I urge you to do the same,

Sincerely,

Featured monkey trafficker

2009-11-20T15:54:00.004+01:00

This is what we found today:

http://www.primatestore.com/forsale.asp

Please help STOP the trafficking in primates:

Please, please everyone, write to your congress representative here:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

And copy and paste this message:

Dear Senator,

I would like to support the

The Captive Primate Safety Act

Primates are not domesticated animals. While a tiny percentage of pet dogs will bite a human, all primates will readily bite a human.

ALL primates potentially carry diseases deadly to humans including Herpes B, Yellow Fever, Monkeypox, Ebola virus, Marburg virus, SIV, HIV and Tuberculosis.

Primate ownership in the US is hypocritical when we are trying to conserve them in the wild.

I support this bill, and I urge you to do the same,

Sincerely,

selling primates

2009-11-18T15:37:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone,

I want to bring up something really serious that you guys can help with.

The buying and trafficking of primates in the US is a very real problem that is making the work of conservationists really difficult.

It is completely legal to buy/ sell monkeys, chimps, and bonobos in the US, even when these animals are endangered in Africa.

www.wildanimalworld.com
http://www.primatestore.com/forsale.asp

I know you all know the reasons why this is wrong: how can we tell Africans to conserve their endangere species when we buy and sell them over here like puppies, then there is the issue of disease, bites, and the welfare of the monkeys themselves who end up in cages or abandoned or at biomedical facilities or roadside zoos.

The reason this is still legal is because the pet traders are very effective lobbyists.

Please, please everyone, write to your congress representative here:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

And copy and paste this message:

Dear Senator,

I would like to support the

The Captive Primate Safety Act

Most people keep domesticated animals, whether it’s a dog, cat or a cow. We know the biological systems in their bodies that control stress responses are down-regulated relative to wild animals. This means that the average dog, cat, cow, etc. stays much more calm in a stressful situation than a wolf, lion or buffalo. Because domesticated animals do not become as stressed, they rarely if ever attack humans compared to wild animals. It’s true that 23 Americans died last year from dog bites, but this statistic would be many times higher if the 68 million dog owners had instead lived in as close contact with wolves. By living together with us for thousands of years, domesticated animals have been bred to live together with humans relatively harmoniously. Domestication is the process of breeding out aggression toward humans

Primates are not domesticated animals. While a tiny percentage of pet dogs will bite a human, all primates will readily bite a human.

ALL primates potentially carry diseases deadly to humans including Herpes B, Yellow Fever, Monkeypox, Ebola virus, Marburg virus, SIV, HIV and Tuberculosis.

Most primates, including chimpanzees, are highly endangered. It is illegal to own, purchase or sell primates in Africa. Unfortunately, an international trade rages in Africa –- including the sale of primates. Hunters shoot mothers and sell their bodies as meat to rich city dwellers who can afford the luxury. They pull babies off the backs of their dead mothers to sell in the markets as pets. However, these pet traders are doing nothing worse than what is done in the United States legally: baby primates are pulled off their mothers’ backs and sold as pets.

Primate ownership in the US is hypocritical when we are trying to conserve them in the wild.

I support this bill, and I urge you to do the same,

Sincerely,

chillin'

2009-11-16T16:34:00.000+01:00

When he isn't freaking out at frogs, Fizi likes to chill out in the afternoons by the water side, i often see him there just looking up, seeming to be contemplating something

The rainy season has started!

2009-11-13T16:32:00.001+01:00

We had our first big rain last night, so the rainy season has finally commenced. All the bonobos have been busy making day-nests up in the trees, getting cosy in case of a big down-pour! Maya and Bisengo were fast asleep in their nest this afternoon, they looked really cute.

why chimps don't make good pets

2009-11-12T21:32:00.001+01:00

another move...

2009-11-09T16:24:00.000+01:00

boyoma playing with malaika

Muanda being groomed by Isiro

Yesterday, there was a big move of group 3 into group 2. Isiro, Boyomo, Yolo, Api and Mabali all moved over. Isiro knew exaclt whjere to go as she's already been in gp 2, but it was all new and a llittle scary for little Boyoma and Yolo. Isiro was ind and kept gesturing back to Boyomo, fo him to come and hang on to her. She made sure he clung on as they made their way. Yolo was a bit more cool, he stayed close but wasn't gonna hangi onto some girl. The next to enter were Api and Mabali. Api was fine but Mabali didnt know where to go, so Papa Phillipe led him down. When they arrived, there was lots of sex and screaming, but no disputes and no aggression. They were welcomed and settled in happi;y. Little Boyoma is very well, dashing about with the other little boys. He gets on well with everyone, and seems especially Elikia

A big day

2009-11-06T16:18:00.000+01:00

Sankuru looking over her Mama's shoulder

settling into group 3

Today Sake, Sankuru and Tchilenge moved to group 3. It was a big day, especially for little Sake! All went really well. Kikongo was the first male to join them, and was so excited to see these pretty girls in his enclos. Sankuru was quite surprised at first but understood exactly how to act with Kikongo, and they had lots of greeting sex. Sake wanted to stay with the mamas but after a little tantrum, she settled down and played well with the others. Tchilenge was very content to be bac with the boys. Maniema Billi and Kiongo joined them, and it already looks like Sankuru was leading the way around the enclos. Maybe the next alpha!

the boys...

2009-11-04T16:16:00.000+01:00

Bili has moved back into group 3 and is having a great time dashing about with the boys. Maniema as ever keeps himself to himself a bit, but we have lots of fun making faces to each other. I didn't realise bonobos could roll their tongues, but Maniema is very adept at it. He just loves pulling silly faces and sticking his tongue out at you. Very cute

Kikwit and Keza

2009-11-02T16:13:00.000+01:00

There are quite a few changes taking place in terms of group composition, to make way for the new training programme of the 12 juveniles for the next release. Kikwit and Keza moved into group 1 last week week. Keza's being a bit of a loner and after a bit of rough treatment from the females,has moved back into Group 2. but Kikwit is absolutely loving being back. All the females gathered round and spent hours and hours grooming him and welcoming him back. He was blissful lying there with all the attention of the group!

the frog..

2009-10-30T16:08:00.000+01:00

Fizzi, the big brave male of enclosure 2, found a dead frog the other day. Upon seeing it, he squealed like a little girl until his buddy Makali, another big male came over to see what all the fuss was about. Upon seeing the frog, Makali also started squealing, and got into such a tizzy that he threw the frog straight at Elikya, a baby girl who caught it on the fly.

Kalina, an adult female came with her baby on her back to calm the guys down. She picked up the frog and left with it, putting it on the ground every now and then to see if there was any life left in the poor thing. Being sure that there was no chance of a sudden resurrection, she threw the frog in the water.

Fizzi decided this was still too close and ran as far away from the floating body as he could. When he got to the forest he promptly pretended to be very interested in the grass and acted like the whole episode never happened...

Sankuru update

2009-10-28T15:33:00.000+01:00

For all those waiting for news of Sankuru, here she is! this little one has lately become more independant, she's bee climbing down off her Mama, and now spends most of her time playing with her brothers and sisters. Her favorite of the moment seems to be big brother Eleke, who is big enough to play horse with her! She can be seen in the nursery riding around on him most of the day...

Salonga's baby still alive!

2009-10-25T15:29:00.000+01:00

It's a miracle - after losing every baby she's had until now, Salonga has become an extraordinary mother to Kimia - who is now 3 months old! Salonga, as some of you know, has always been desperate for a baby, mothering frogs, small mammals and even large insects. Now, her own baby is strong, healthy, and we have every hope that she'll keep growing! Thank you for all your good wishes, and Salonga sends her love and these new snaps!

Kinshasa l'acrobat

2009-10-23T15:24:00.000+02:00

Kinshasa, the new bonobo we rescued last April, is a tight rope walker! she amuses herself all day long by going to the highest and longest bar on the jungle gym and walking up and down it! Phillipe petite French in the making?

the lomako and kodoro trap

2009-10-21T15:32:00.000+02:00

this is one of the perils/perks of being a long distance blogger - i ask everyone who goes to lola for photos and stories, especially of the ones we love like kata, lomela& boyoma - but as soon as they get there they get all caught up in the absolute CUTENESS of lomako and kodoro and forget all my requests and just send images and news of these two babies, who are, let's admit it, adorable.

hang in there parents! we'll get news of your babies one of these days!! sigh....

zannah - the clothes theives

2009-10-19T15:31:00.000+02:00

the bonobos are being very successful clothes theives at the moment. seems to be several times per week at least.This morning, Dilolo and Kisantu carefully selected an appropriate stick to swipe one of the day keepers shirts. they were very content swinging about in the trees with their booty, and then manono spent hours washing and re-washing his part in the lake. Bisengo played blindman's buff with his torn peice, dashing about and toppling over, in fits of giggles

zannah and lomako

2009-10-16T15:27:00.000+02:00

(oops - i got it wrong - i thought kodoro and lomako were little girls - but they're actually little boys! sorry you two!)

the 2 new males, Lomako and Sodoro are really making progress. Lomako is pretty shy still, but he is still so small! their quarantine time is nearly up, so soon it will be time to meet the rest of the nursery. they are pretty turbulent at the moment, with so many of them! but yvonne is back from holiday, so having an extra pair of hands about again will be helpful!

more news from zannah...

2009-10-14T15:24:00.000+02:00

zannah is sending us more news, so I asked her if she could tell us a little about herself...

' im in the Psychology dept at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, part of the Scottish Primate Research Group. Im studying vocal communication in bonobos, and of course its relationship to social cognition. Im taking a psychological approach to vocal communication, thus i guess, examining the means that bonobos use vocalisations as behavioural tools to navigate their social worlds. There is very little research on vocal communication in bonobos, which provides an exciting but somewhat scary opportunity for me to explore! Some of my topics include the vocal sequences they produce during feeding ( evidence of kind of proto-language) as well as those during sex. Sex as we know has a very important social significance in bonobos, and so im examining how this translates into the associated vocalisations. Other primates only produce copulation calls during reproductive mating, but of bonobos produce these calls in purley social contexts.... it appears to be rank and audience related.... '

Fanny

2009-10-12T15:16:00.000+02:00

I don't know if I mentioned this but we have a new vet! Fanny has been at Lola for a few months and everyone loves her - including the bonobos!

We usually have female vets, as you've probably noticed, coz it's a little known fact that bonobos prefer women to men, seriously. i don't know what it's all about maybe it's because men killed their mothers, but they retain this preference into adulthood, which is really odd.

So this is fanny with Sankusu, a new, totally huge bonobo - who is sankusu? i have no idea. I should find out though, give me some time.

Kodoro

2009-10-09T15:09:00.000+02:00

The other little bonobo who was rescued a few weeks ago, Kodoro, is now firmly latched onto Mama Henriette. She must be one of the tiniest bonobos we have rescued at Lola. She needs to get some meat on those bones...

bowned eyed girl

2009-10-07T15:01:00.000+02:00

has anyone ever seen eyes that big???

Lomako's vet results have come back clear - she is officially healthy. But as you can see, she's terribly thin - she needs to double her weight if she's going to be in the healthy range. but at least she is covered in long beautiful hair.

have a feeling this one's goign to be trouble for the boys in group 3...

Lomako's favourite food

2009-10-05T14:56:00.000+02:00

Scallions! just like Kanzi, the talking bonobo at the great ape trust in Iowa.

Apparently Lomako can eat her whole body weight in scallions in an hour. Maybe she will get to heavy for Mama Micheline to carry - let's hope so!

Lomako

2009-10-02T14:52:00.000+02:00

Lomako is at the sanctuary and going strong! Lomako, is of course, the wild reserve for bonobos in the Congo, and let's hope this little one might return to the wild as well.

Her Mama is Micheline, who has been carrying her around all day every day - lucky she is just a slip of a thing and doesn't weigh very much!

Eye candy - Kata& Sandoa

2009-09-30T20:51:00.000+02:00

No need for a description - just look at that face!

news from Zannah - Kimia

2009-09-28T20:49:00.000+02:00

Today Dilolo found a plastic bottle. Dilolo being Dilolo put the bottle on his head and walked about looked a cross between an alien and hanibal lector!

Salonga and baby Kimia are doing realy well! Salongo is such a calm and quiet mother. it's really exciting b/c Salonga has had about 4 babies and they've all died. and she's been wanting to be a mother for so long, she occasionally takes frogs from the pond and pretends they're babies!

a retired physicist

2009-09-27T14:40:00.003+02:00

Just wanted to give a million bonobo hugs to Jim Holtz, who has just funded the building of the enclosure for the juveniles - this includes rascally boyoma, the little punk dilolo, and mwanda and all the little babies who are now growing up.

As you all know, after the infants arrive they spend several months/ years in the nursery until they have fully recovered from the trauma of losing their mothers. Then they go into Enclosure 3, which is the juvenile enclosure and learn to live in their first stable group. There is a 20 acre forest for them to play in, as well as a few gentle adult bonobos who look after them, until they can finally live in the grown up enclosures.

I don't know anything about Jim, except he is a retired physicist, which means he must be smart b/c I almost failed physics three years in a row...

thank you, jim, from us and all the rascally bonobos in group 3!

news from Zannah - elikia

2009-09-25T20:44:00.000+02:00

semendwa&elikia

Elikia is such a big girl now, and spending much more time away from Semendwa. She’s great pals with Keza in particular, they spend lots of time rolling about and playing. Keza may be a terror with humans but he’s pretty sweet with the young bonobos. Keza and Ilebo were playing a kissing game today, pretty cute

news from Zannah - dilolo2

2009-09-23T20:43:00.000+02:00

Naughty Dilolo was causing trouble during the vegetable feed today, he kept hanging about Likasi and throwing vegetables at her. He’d pick up a bundle of vegetables, wave thrm around like a lasoo and then chuck them at her. Needless to say Likasi wasn’t impressed!

news from Zannah - Sankuru and the new babies

2009-09-21T16:24:00.001+02:00

Sankuru

The two new babies that arrived a few days ago are doing very well. They are 2 little males named Lomako and Sodoro. Michelline and Henriette are being their mothers. But it means busy times for Esperence, who has to look after the rest of the nursery until Lomako and Sodoro have finished quarantine. 9 energetic little terrors charging about. And to top it all off, the whole nursery has come down with a cold. So everyone is very busy treating them and keeping an eye out. Sankuru had a bad fever, but she seems to be doing better now. Shes such an amazingly gentle female, cheeky Eleke and Sake love to dash about and jump on you, but Sankuru is just happy to sit in your lap and quietly groom

news from Zannah - dilolo

2009-09-18T16:19:00.000+02:00

A real play party took place today in the swamp. Manono, chief fun-maker was dashing about at top speed in hysterics as he played with the Kisantu and pthers. In fact, Dilolo felt a bit put out. Kisantu and Manono were so engrossed in rolling about wrestling, that when Dilolo patted them and tried to push his way in to join, they just rolled over and carried on their game. He kept trying to join in but they didn’t notice. Chief punk Dilolo ousted from a game!

news from Zannah - Vanga and Manono

2009-09-16T16:16:00.000+02:00

Vanga is learning how to live in the big wide world of Group 1. Once king of the nursery, he’s now very much on the bottom rung of group 1. Even Kasongo can cut it a bit more than Vanga. He does have tantrums quite a lot, but seems to get comfort from Bandundu. He stays close to her and gives her a hug once in a while. And he’s quite good pals with Manono. Manono loves playing with the boys, so Vanga makes the most of the good times with the big guy

news from Zannah - poor keza...

2009-09-14T16:12:00.000+02:00

Tchilomba really has issues with Keza. Whatvere he tries to do, she tries to stop it. Keza wanted to walk past her to get through the gate at the enclosure to feed on the vegetables. But she started screaming at him and blocked his path. Each time he tried to pass, she screamed, threw her arms at him and set off to chase him away. Then she ended up manning the door, closing it shut each time he tried to pass. She opened it now and then and Moyi and the others slipped through, but each time Keza approached, she creaked it shut. Keza just had to sit it out, she did get a bit bored ofthis military discipline regime after a while… well until the next day at least

baby Elikia growing up

2009-09-11T16:29:00.000+02:00

Baby Elikia has really become an independent little lady, and she loves hanging out with the big boys. Yesterday Mystique was sitting by the fence and Elikia was being really sweet, gently caressing her and giving her some gentle pats. Mystique seemed very content

news from Zannah - manono

2009-09-11T16:09:00.000+02:00

Manono is finding enjoying the new found freedom of reign ( even if only by default!) now Tatango is now longer with us. And the girls in group 1 really are battling it out for access toManono. Kisantu rushed up for some action with Manono, but Nioki saw and rushed up to to present to him. Manono at this point was ‘otherwise engaged’ so tried to bat Nioki away. She screamed but pulled his hand and presented anyway, so of course, he had to relent and satisfy his other lady. Even if she is already preganant! But Manono also seems to really love Likasi, they spend hours and hours grooming

apologies

2009-09-09T18:18:00.001+02:00

hey everyone, just took down the civet post. sorry if it upset people. I guess as a scientist, I was so fascinated by the report of 'mothering' the civets by the bonobos that I forgot to think about if the deaths would distress people. I used to have bunnies that I 'loved' to death, and me, the cuddling behaviour of the bonobos, the washing of the civets was a similar. were the bonobos trying take care of them, like children played with dolls? was there imagination? pretend play? scientifically, even if it's in the ball park, it's incredible, because pretend play and imagination are what some people think makes us human.

but i agree, not so fun for the civets. no more torture stories, promise.

james and 1000 classrooms...

2009-09-08T20:37:00.000+02:00