Lola Ya Bonobo

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jun 28 2008 | By: lolayabonobo

The educational activities of the ABC reached more than 16, 500 children and adults last year. The majority were young Congolese students, targeted within the framework of the scholastic education program, but activities with environmental workers, primarily in the provinces, were also numerous this year.

The initiative for these activities comes mostly from Pierrot Mbonzo, the educational coordinator of the ABC. A new educator-guide, Blaise Mbwaki, has been recruited this year to help expand these activities. He arranges regular school visits to the Sanctuary, when he’s not out in the field with Pierrot.

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jun 26 2008 | By: lolayabonobo

After several years of research, a site with the criteria for a successful release (a space of 40,000 hectares of primary tropical forest - native bonobo habitat) has been selected near Basankusu (in Equateur province). This site – which we are calling Ekolo ya bonobo (The Land of the Bonobos) – will be the world’s first bonobo release site.

Since the middle of the year, numerous contacts have been established with the local population (the Pô Group) in order to educate them about the return of the bonobos to their former habitat. Of course, contacts have also been maintained with the administrative authorities of the region. We benefit greatly from the expertise of the AWF (African Wildlife Foundation), an American environmental organization, active in this region since 2004 when it founded the ’ Maringa-Lopori -Wamba Landscape», and when in 2006, it created the « Natural Reserve of Lomako » with its partner, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN). The outstanding sensibilisation work realized by the AWF among the local populations throughout the entire region has helped us immensely to establish our contacts.

          The awareness campaigns and the mobilization of the local populations and other concerned groups have been placed in the hands of Pierrot Mbonzo, coordinator of the ABC educational programs. An action plan for 2008 has been developed, together with the AWF and its director for the DRC, Jeff Dupain. The most important stages are:

·      Active mapping and geo-referencing of the site

·      In-depth research into the local flora and fauna of the region, in particular the identification of local seeds and nuts for the biodiversity

·      A series of workshops to analyze information and distribute it to local communities and provincial officials

During this period, at Lola ya Bonobo, Crispin Mahamba and the Sanctuary’s health team were also busy. Since April, the medical analyses recommended by the « Guidelines on Reintroduction » of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have been continuing – including discovering genetic data, making pathological and virological tests, and giving vaccinations. The ABC’ staff has been supported by a team of veterinarians and scientific wildlife experts: veterinarians Nick de Souza (African Director of the World Society of the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and a big bonobo fan), Michel Hallbwax, and Laurence Provot; Anne Fischer, geneticist of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI – EVAN), responsible for generating the genotypes of our bonobos; and our friend Brian Hare, director of the « 3 Chimps Project», in charge of psychological testing.

We have received very positive cooperation from all the services of the Congolese government, who are convinced of the importance of our work.  Under the supervision of the Ministry of the Environment, the Direction of Wildlife Resources of the DRC helped us to acquire quickly those documents necessary for the export of specimens. The Congolese Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) supplied us with technical support for the preservation of these specimens. The ABC also received assistance from the INRB for the necessary bacteriological studies.

The technical preparations for the reintroduction of rehabilitated bonobos, made possible by the WSPA, USFWS and MPI, will continue in 2008: we are planning the bonobo reintroduction for May or June 2009…

8 responses so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jun 24 2008 | By: lolayabonobo

Hi everyone,

For those who don’t know me, my name is Vanessa, and I study bonobos at Duke University. I’m also on the Board for Friends of Bonobos, and so I run this blog and help out wherever I can.

One of the biggest perks of my job is that I go to Lola at least once a year. I am unabashadly in love with bonobos, they are the funnest creatures ever so I hope you don’t mind me sharing some of our research findings with you while I’m there.

First things first, I’ll be updating you with what’s been happening at the sanctuary over the next few days - 10 days to be exact - we arrive at Lola on July 4!

The Sanctuary has welcomed five new orphans this year, two from the province of Equateur (Boyoma et Eleke) and three from Lodja in the province of Kasai Oriental (Sake, Lomela and Katako Kombe). This was the first time we received bonobos from this province.

Having heard from a local NGO that a large number of orphaned bonobos were located in Kasai Oriental, the Sanctuary’s educators, Pierrot and Blaise, went to Lodja in August, accompanied by Anne-Marie, our nurse, to recuperate the infant bonobos and to launch an awareness educational campaign. There they found a catastrophic situation: bushmeat – including monkeys and bonobos- is considered a delicacy!

8 responses so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jun 17 2008 | By: lolayabonobo

Just got back from the Friends of Bonobos board meeting in DC. The Jane Goodall Institute hosted us in their beautiful offices, for which we were very grateful.

Our main issue for this year is that we only had eight adoptions last year! Not including the Wildlife Direct donations - which have raised over $3,000 in the last six months. We’re chalking the low adoption numbers up to the fact that all of us are volunteers with day jobs so we haven’t been able to dedicate the time to pushing bonobos - and in the US, hardly any one has heard of them anyway. But this year should be better, if only because it’s so much easier now on our NEW website!!

check it out, www.friendsofbonobos.org   It’s been a year in the revamping process and the best thing is that now you can adopt a bonobo with the click of a button on the How to Help page. Hopefully this should get the adoption numbers higher!

Your two best girls, Lomela and Kata are there, so if you don’t donate already to Wildlife Direct - adopt a bonobo!

www.friendsofbonobos.org/support.htm

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jun 12 2008 | By: lolayabonobo

It’s Lomela! Look at all her beautiful hair! This photo is courtesy of Colleen Moritz who does quite the most beautiful portraits of the infants I’ve seen. I don’t know how she takes them - everytime I try one of them is leaping on my camera.

This is what she looked like last year:

It’s so wonderful to see the change.But you can see she has the same gentle eyes.

Lolo is an incredibly sweet bonobo, everyone loves her in the nursery. She is always quick with a hug for anyone who is upset, and yes, she still does eat like she hasn’t seen food for a month.

We love you Lolo!!

10 responses so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jun 09 2008 | By: lolayabonobo

Mabali from group 3 has had a terrible accident. We think he has broken his leg. Michel, the French vet and our head vet Crispin have isolated him to try and find out exactly what’s wrong. It looks something like a torn ligament across the knee.

Even though he is isolated, he’s never far from the mamas Anne Marie and Clemence, who are also in quarantine with the new arrivals, Masisi and Lukuru who provide a welcome distraction.

Yesterday, we tried to put Mabali in the nursery but there was too much playing! We’ll have to go slowly until his leg gets better…

8 responses so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jun 05 2008 | By: lolayabonobo

This month, a big thank you goes to brigitta s, Sheryl B, 2 Anonymous donors, Maciej G, Annette R, Pirjo I, Kevin C, Baerbel W and the Stuttgart zoo. We had a big month with over $400 of donations! thank you everyone, big hugs from the bonobos.

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jun 03 2008 | By: lolayabonobo

More photos from Colleen Moritz - does Masisi, the scared little boy from May 19 look better or what??

He actually is scarily similar to Boyoma, who frequently runs around terrorizing everyone.

It’s wonderful to see the broken little spirits that arrive return with such spunk and vigor. Bonobos are amazing, not just in their trust in humans when we haven’t done much to deserve it, but their will to survive.

Go Masisi, go!

9 responses so far