Lola Ya Bonobo

Category: release project | Date: Apr 30 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

I’ve got bits and pieces of news from Claudine’s visit up country to the release site which I’ll be posting over the next few days.

The release is going ahead on June 14 - the very first bonobo release ever!

Claudine has done an amazing job preparing the local people, running the education programs and setting everything up. Soon all of us will be able to see bonobos released back into the wild - how exciting!

stay tuned for tomorrow’s first update …

Tags: claudine travels to release site

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Category: the sanctuary | Date: Apr 29 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

i’m back from congo now, and i wanted to say a big thank you to sheryl b, lukuru’s mom, who has been helping me upload blog posts for the last six weeks. the line in congo is like, super slow, the internet breaking for days, and sheryl was just wonderful, helping me upload the posts and keeping everyone informed during the flu crisis.

what makes it even more touching is that sheryl’s dog, mina, is very sick. i lost a dog a few years ago and i remember how tough it was. so if everyone could send sheryl mental hugs, i’m sure she would appreciate them.

here, s, lukuru sends hugs:

Tags: lukuru hugs, Mina, thanks to sheryl

6 responses so far

Category: bonobos | Date: Apr 28 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

kinshasa is in the nursery! and to celebrate, everybody got chuppa chups! kinshasa had sex with everyone and ran into the bushes before i got my camera out but Lukuru (on mama yvonne’s lap), Waka and Sake all stuck around. Note Sake doing her sommersault for joy …

Tags: chuppa chups, kinshasa, sex for food

2 responses so far

Category: Uncategorized, bonobos | Date: Apr 27 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

after chasing kinshasa around for an hour yesterday, today when i took her for a walk i held tight to her little feet - and i had to keep moving. if i stopped she wanted to run away again but as long as we kept going, she had no complaints. results back from the lab today - she is in perfect health!! she’ll be going into the nursery tomorrow …

Tags: kinshasa, runaway bonobo

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Apr 24 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

ok, so this was kinshasa’s face today in the vet block …

the vet Anne Marie was like, “she’s driving us crazy. she’s been bouncing off the walls.” so i was like, “ok, i’ll take her outside for a bit.” so i take her outside, and she hangs on for about, oh, a second and then she runs! she just starts running ’round and ’round the sanctuary and i can’t get her back. here i am chasing her:

so then i try everything - bananas, chocolate, apples, vitamins, pineapple - EVERYTHING. nope. then, weirdly, as a last resort, i try bread - and it works! got the little sucker back. from then on, i take her for walks but i make sure i always have her feet!!

2 responses so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Apr 23 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

kinshasa (the new orphan) is just kicking back in the vet block. we have to make sure she’s not carrying any diseases before we introduce her into the nursery. She’s super confident and playful. Not sad at all! She must have lost her mom a while ago. I’m glad b/c she seems in really good health and I can’t handle any more sad things happening this month! i’ve decided the rest of the years is just going to go uphill from here!!

One response so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Apr 22 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

in every thing that’s happened, we forgot to announce the arrival of our newest orphan - Kinshasa. She is super cute and  in very good health. We call her the bush baby or the galago because she looks like one - don’t you think?

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Apr 21 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

yay! yay! yay!

Shutterspeed travel (www.shutterspeedtravel.com) have just told us they will be donating $5000 to cover the food shortfall!! so that means we are up to $32,000 to cover the food shortfall, and only short $1,000!!! and i am sure we can raise that by the end of the year:)

Julie and Adam, the directors, have been to the sanctuary last year. they run amazing photography tours, look at little malaika

Also, I want to thank Kevin C who donated $150, Orlando Roberts who donated 55, Lynn Markert, Lee Shane, Elizabeth Burston, Robin Zimmerman, C Gresham who donated up to $50 and Lomela’s new adopted parents, David Bendelman, Melanie Lewert, and the famous artist Charles Alexander, and snotty nose Boyoma against all odds, found someone to love him in Lhuanys Bolanos in Costa Rica!

wow - i can’t believe it and i’m so touched by everyone rallying together. to tell you the truth i thought i would be fundraising for months, maybe even till the end of the year to cover the 33K we need for bonobo food, but we did it, with your help in just under 3 weeks! what a relief!

thank you everyone!!!! thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!

4 responses so far

Category: bonobos, the sanctuary | Date: Apr 17 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

We brought three bottles of vitamins in the shape of animals for the babies - little did I know how much we would need them!!! Here is Sandoa eating one in the shape of a dinosaur, but she’s pretty much licked him into an oval …

We still need donations for bonobo food - please help if you can. www.friendsofbonobos.org/support.htm or lolayabonobo.wildlifedirect.org

Tags: sandoa, vitamins for bonobos

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Category: bonobos, the sanctuary | Date: Apr 16 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

Last year, www.bonobos.com became one of our corporate sponsors. In case any body hasn’t heard of them, they make the most stylish pants around. The first pair of pants I’ve bought Brian that actually fit!

Bonobos.com adopted three bonobos last year, and in response to the food crisis, I got an e-mail from the president, Andy, who said they would donate $1 for every new customer! That means they are sending us another $6,000 in addition to the $1,720 they’ve already sent us, which is a fifth of the budget for the food shortfall!!

To show our gratitude, we did a photo shoot for them, featuring (what else?) the Congo pants, and stylish 100 percent organic cotton T-shirt. The pants were modeled by Brian, and introducing our female models: Waka (licking Brian’s head), Sake (peeping between Brian’s legs), and our very own Kata (fishing around in Brian’s pocket).

Like Tyra says on “America’s Next Top Model,” “Find the light, girls, find the light.”

Waka on Brian’s head as he models the Bonobos.com T-shirt

Sake peeping out from Brian’s legs

Kata reaching into Brian’s Bonobos pants pocket

Tags: bonobo pants, brian, kata, sake, thanks to donors, waka

3 responses so far