Lola Ya Bonobo

Category: kata | Date: Sep 29 2007 | By: admin

Today Lomela and Kata had their health checks. A special doctor came to take their blood so it could be analysed back at the lab. The results should be back in a few days and if everything checks out clear then they should be able to go into the nursery.

Lomela was really brave. She screamed once and then didn’t even whimper.

We don’t know what Kata was like because my husband Brian, who took the pictures, faints like a southern belle at anything involving blood or needles and had to leave after he took this pic. I was doing a study with the babies in the nursery, so I’m sorry this report isn’t more detailed!

Thanks to everyone who’s been worried about these two, but I think they’re going to be fine, especially once they get into the nursery with all the other baby bonobos.

They were both de-wormed as soon as they came in, and Anne Marie, the vet nurse says when the bonobos first arrive, if they have been starved for a long time, they eat the way Lomela does, as if there will never be enough food. I can understand. Still Crispin says Anne Marie should hide the food sometimes so Lomela can’t eat it all!

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Category: kata | Date: Sep 25 2007 | By: admin

Baby Kata looks so good compared to Lomela, it’s easy to forget what she’s been through.

She has lacerations on her groin where the cord she was tied with cut into her. And there’s a little bare patch on her arm where the cord left scarring.

Also, she’s not drinking any milk. It must have been quite a while since her mother died since she completely rejects the bottle. Also, she’s really skinny and pale under her hair. Her spirits seem good, but we hope she starts drinking milk soon. It’s hard for babies her age to survive without it.

Lomela on the other hand is eating and drinking like crazy. Seriously, mama Henriette says all Lomela does is eat, drink and poop. We were celebrating for a while but now Crispin the vet, is worried. Lomela’s stomach, which was deflating a little from malnutrition is now completely hard from so much food.

Still, Lomela and Kata have become friends. They sleep together at night with their arms around each other.

But I still haven’t heard either of them laugh…

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Category: kata | Date: Sep 23 2007 | By: admin

Hi, my name’s Vanessa and I come to Lola every year to study bonobo psychology. I’ll be reporting for Lola for the next few weeks.

The new baby arrived today at 8:30 in the morning. She comes from Lodja, a particularly troublesome spot in the middle of Congo where they eat bonobos. So her parents were killed and the hunters were trying to sell her as a pet.

There have been 5 baby bonobos confiscated from Lodja in the last few weeks. Two are dead. Two are now here, and there is another one arriving soon.

The staff here have given the new baby the most impossible name: Katakokombe. I’m never going to remember it. It’s a town in Congo. All the bonobos here are named after a village in Congo. It’s a neat trick because everyone who comes gets attached to the bonobo named after their home town. It reminds the Congolese that you can’t find bonobos anywhere else, and that they, as much as anyone, also belong to Congo.

Katakokombe seems in good health. She didn’t much like her bath.

But she eats like a little pig.

I didn’t disgrace myself by getting all teary because the worst is over for her. It’s only going to get better from here.

We spent all afternoon watching the bonobos. I realised how lucky they are to have made it here safely. I hope Kata grows up healthy and strong. I hope she makes new girlfriends and beats all the boys up.

Lomela is looking great. Her swollen tummy has gone down and she has put a little more meat on her bones. Today when Kata came in, Lomela looked at her and gave a friendly squeal. Kata quealed back and the mamas said Lomela was asking for the latest Lodja gossip. It was really cute.

I’ve already had a few emails asking me to describe our studies. I wont’ go into them here b/c this site is more for Lola news, but anyone interested in research can go to

http://bonobohandshake.blogspot.com

6 responses so far

Category: lomela | Date: Sep 19 2007 | By: admin

Lomela is getting better. It’s hard to see day by day, but when you look at the photos from when she was rescued from Lodja, you can see the difference.

Here she is a month ago, when Pierrot and Blaise, our education officers went with Anne Marie, our nurse to rescue her.

When Anne Marie gave her a bath, all the village children came out to watch.

Today, she still looks bad, but she’s filling out, slowly but surely. Her Maman Henriette says it’s mostly her spirit that suffers. If she decides to survive, she’ll live. If she decides to die, there’s nothing we can do except try to convince her that everything gets better from here.

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Category: lomela | Date: Sep 16 2007 | By: admin

Lomela arrived two weeks ago. She was found by an organisation in Lodja called ACOPRIK (Action Communautair pour la Protection des Primates du Kasai) and brought to the sanctuary.

Pierrot, our education officer says Lodja is a terrible area because the local people eat bonobos. Lomela is lucky she made it to the sanctuary alive.

We are still not sure if Lomela will make it. Yesterday she started to breathe hard and fast and we were afraid her lungs were filling with fluid. All the babies in the nursery have a cold. We hope Lomela is strong enough to fight the infection and it doesn’t develop into pneumonia.

Henriette, her surrogate mother is taking care of her. Everyday I ask Henriette how Lomela is, and every day she says, better.

Mwanda, one of the female infants is especially fond of Lomela. She understands she has to be gentle and doesn’t bulldoze Lomela like she does with the other infants. When Mwanda sees Lomela, she always gives her a quick hug.

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Category: the sanctuary | Date: Sep 15 2007 | By: admin

Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary is a sprawling forest just outside Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is the world’s only bonobo sanctuary and is home to over 50 orphaned bonobos.

Bonobos are one of the most endangered primates. They live only in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Because of the 10 year civil war in Congo that killed over four million people, more than any war since World War II, bonobos are the most mysterious of all the great apes.

In the thick forests of the Congo Basin, poachers kill adult bonobos for meat and capture the infants to sell as pets. Under Congolese law, it is illegal to either kill or sell bonobos. Lola ya Bonobo works together with the Ministry for Environment and law enforcement to confiscate bonobos and bring them safely to the sanctuary.

Bonobo share 98.7% of our DNA, equal to our more famous cousins, chimpanzees. However, unlike chimpanzees, bonobos have not been known to kill one another. The hallmark of bonobo behaviour is their intense sexual activity, regardless of age or gender. Bonobos use sex to diffuse tension, conflict and aggression. Although bonobo society is fairly egalitarian, the females generally lead the multi-male, multi-female groups.

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