more news from zannah...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

news from Zannah - Kimia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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...

James and Desmond Tutu

Check out what James has been doing over the summer - Archbishop Desi Tutu, no less!

Way to go, James!

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