news at lola is that the agreement between the Po and Lola ya Bonobo has been signed! a 20,000 hectare area near Basankusu is now officially the sitefor the bonobo release next year!

For those that don’t know, this will be the world’s first bonobo release. Every other great ape species has been reintroduced into the wild, except bonobos. Even though we could lose as many as half the animals we release, it’s important to do this now so we can figure out a way that works, rather than leave it until we have the very last bonobos and THEN have to figure out how to release them.

Some of you have been curious about why we haven’t already released all the bonobos back into the wild. It would save sanctuary running costs of $300,000 a year, and the bonobos would be better of the wild, wouldn’t they?

The truth is, reintroduction is very risky. First you have to make sure the area is safe, and the bonobos you release wont be hunted and killed  as soon as you let them go. Then you have to keep feeding the bonobos because the years they’ve spent in the sanctuary means they won’t be able to find all their food. The area has to be large enough to have the feeding requirements, and isolated enough that they won’t keep running into the nearest village to steal food from humans.

The site near Basankusu is perfect. The local Po community has agreed to become guardians for the bonobos, which will provide much more protection than hiring men with guns. The forest is full of fruiting trees and there are no other bonobos that will be in competition for resources.

Our vets are at the release site right now to sort out the logistics of how they’ll manage the bonobos, where to hold equipment, facilities for medical emergencies, etc.

Watch this space for new developments.

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So seeing as these totally cool pieces of wadrobe carried the name bonobos, I emailed Andy and asked if he’d be interested in becoming a sponsor. Who immediately rang me, and said yes, absolutely and even though they are still a new company, gave us a generous donation and sponsored all three bonobos, Lomela the charming, Kata the drama queen and Boyoma the terror.

So since our store doesn’t have pants, if you want some that are stylish, affordable with the coolest name possible, visit . They ship in 2 days (heaps of time for xmas!) and they have a no hassles return policy. Let’s help these two charming boys get their company started.

I just bought Brian (what else?) the Congos for xmas. The palm frond lining cracks me up.

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Lukuru is good but still small, she’s eating and drinking fine, and trying not to be jealous of Sandoa and Masisi, who has adopted the new orphan, just like she adopts dogs and chickens. Lomela is the sweetheart of the nursery, but growing huger by the day - she’ll be ready to graduate to group 3 soon!

But the big news is - we have new items in our shop, just in time for xmas! now you can give gifts and support your little infants over in bonobo land.

There’s the all new organic cotton T

Maternity shirts for sexy bonobo mamas

And even something for the little ones.

Visit the shop - www.cafepress.com/BonoboFriends and order now!

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Of course no war will be good for the bonobos. Part of the problem is that the soldiers aren’t usually paid, which means they hunt in the forest. There is no way to tell exactly how many bonobos will be killed. We do see a spike in orphans arriving at the sanctuary after a war, either because the soldiers aren’t hungry enough to eat the infants or because they are so hungry they are hunting more than usual.

Having said that, the region of the fighting is not where the highest concentration of the bonobo population is, which is more in the middle than in the east. So we can hope the bonobos will remain unscathed, but I don’t think this is very likely.

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who are you and what kind of funding do you have? if you have say, squillions of bucks, can fly an MRI machine to Congo during on of the bonobo health checks, sure! the application procedure is right here www.friendsofbonobos.org/research.htm

They’ve done this at Emory before, with bonobos. Bill Hopkins did the research.

Of course you have to get the bonobos when they are asleep or anethestised. like this…

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Anyway - thanks for being patient, I had some interesting questions on bonobo handshake so I thought i’d answer them:

African Safari Stories said…

Hello there.

Is it true than the bonobo is the only creature other than man to have face to face intercourse?

October 28, 2008 8:06 PM

 

As far as I know ASS, they are. That’s because, like humans, bonobo female vaginas are ventrally orientated (facing towards the stomach). Most other female animals have vaginas oriented towards the rear which facilitates, umm, doggy style.  so it’s easiest for both bonobos and humans to have sex face to face.

 

having said that, hubby aka famous Dr Brian Hare, says he has seen brown capuchin monkeys doing it face on. which means other animals probably do it to but not as frequently (or as comfortably) as bonobos and us.

 

Here is some face to face action.

 

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will start posting again on nov 13 when i get back.

here is a picture of Bandundu’s baby to look at while I am gone:)

xxVanessa

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Mama Esperance took Sandoa for a walk around the sanctuary today to see the other bonobos. Sandoa probably hasn’t seen any adult bonobos since her mother was killed and the mamas like to take their babies around the sanctuary just so they can see how happy the other bonobos are and what life is like after the nursery.

Now that Sandoa is in good health it’s important to look after her emotional state. i know it sounds corny, but i’ve seen bonobos just give up and die. they are like people in that if they can’t think of anything to live for, they get so sad they can will themselves to death, even if they’re in perfect health.

So the bonobo tour is to show Sandoa how the other bonobos live, and for them to recognise her. Today she saw Tchilombe with her new baby, Moyi, who is almost a year old, and then clever Likasi was cracking some nuts. Likasi went crazy when she saw Sandoa, she was calling and yelling, presenting for some g-g rubbing…. Likasi loves little females like Sandoa and she can’t wait until Sandoa is big enough to come and play with her!

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The bonobo baby on the other hand, is king pin. Anything Bisengo wants, he gets. He can be reaching for a grape on the other side of the enclosure, and even the big males will scamper out of the way to let him get it. Otherwise, Bisengo’s mother, Maya, will get her best girlfriend, Etumbe, who will rally Chelumbe and Lisala and together they will kick the big males butt.

I was a bonobo baby because i would beat anyone up to get food.
Which baby were you? Or if you have kids, are they chimps or bonobos?

Here is little Bisengo who has just stolen a piece of mango from Keza, the adult male.

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Masisi & Sandoa

The results are back from the lab - Sandoa is in perfect health! Besides the deep cut around her groin where she was tethered in captivity, she is fine. The cut still has to be treated with antibiotics to prevent infection, but that too is healing nicely.

This means Sandoa was finally allowed into the nursery! After weeks of sitting on Mama’s Esperance’s lap, gazing at the others playing with each other, Sandoa was brought in gently to meet the others.

The first bonobo who touched her was Masisi (what a sweetheart). She walked right up to Sandoa and gently kissed her to welcome her into the group. Mama Esperance made sure there were lots of sugar cane (Sandoa’s favourite). Masisi then brought over Waka, who was a little rough so then Masisi slapped Waka as if to say ‘play nice!’

Masisi (left) with Sandoa

masisi gives Sandoa little friendly hug!

Sando curled up on Mama Esperance’s lap and drank a whole bottle of milk. Esperance was a little worried over the past weeks since Sandoa, like Kata, took a little while before she would drink. You can see that Sandoa is still a little thin.

Waka comes in a bit tough, but Masisi is protecting little Sandoa

This last picture is my favourite - Sandoa getting her bath in the morning!

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