Lola Ya Bonobo

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