Lola Ya Bonobo

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 14 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

zannah is sending us more news, so I asked her if she could tell us a little about herself…

‘ im in the Psychology dept at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, part of the Scottish Primate Research Group. Im studying vocal communication in bonobos, and of course its relationship to social cognition. Im taking a psychological approach to vocal communication, thus i guess, examining the means that bonobos use vocalisations as behavioural tools to navigate their social worlds. There is very little research on vocal communication in bonobos, which provides an exciting but somewhat scary opportunity for me to explore! Some of my topics include the vocal sequences they produce during feeding ( evidence of kind of proto-language) as well as those during sex. Sex as we know has a very important social significance in bonobos, and so im examining how this translates into the associated vocalisations. Other primates only produce copulation calls during reproductive mating, but of bonobos produce these calls in purley social contexts…. it appears to be rank and audience related…. ‘

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 12 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

I don’t know if I mentioned this but we have a new vet! Fanny has been at Lola for a few months and everyone loves her - including the bonobos!

We usually have female vets, as you’ve probably noticed, coz it’s a little known fact that bonobos prefer women to men, seriously. i don’t know what it’s all about maybe it’s because men killed their mothers, but they retain this preference into adulthood, which is really odd.

So this is fanny with Sankusu, a new, totally huge bonobo - who is sankusu? i have no idea. I should find out though, give me some time.

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 09 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

The other little bonobo who was rescued a few weeks ago, Kodoro, is now firmly latched onto Mama Henriette. She must be one of the tiniest bonobos we have rescued at Lola. She needs to get some meat on those bones…

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 07 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

has anyone ever seen eyes that big???

Lomako’s vet results have come back clear - she is officially healthy. But as you can see, she’s terribly thin - she needs to double her weight if she’s going to be in the healthy range. but at least she is covered in long beautiful hair.

have a feeling this one’s goign to be trouble for the boys in group 3…

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 05 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

Scallions! just like Kanzi, the talking bonobo at the great ape trust in Iowa.

Apparently Lomako can eat her whole body weight in scallions in an hour. Maybe she will get to heavy for Mama Micheline to carry - let’s hope so!

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 02 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

Lomako is at the sanctuary and going strong! Lomako, is of course, the wild reserve for bonobos in the Congo, and let’s hope this little one might return to the wild as well.

Her Mama is Micheline, who has been carrying her around all day every day - lucky she is just a slip of a thing and doesn’t weigh very much!

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Sep 30 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

No need for a description - just look at that face!

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Sep 28 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

Today Dilolo found a plastic bottle. Dilolo being Dilolo put the bottle on his head and walked about looked a cross between an alien and hanibal lector!

Salonga and baby Kimia are doing realy well! Salongo is such a calm and quiet mother. it’s really exciting b/c Salonga has had about 4 babies and they’ve all died. and she’s been wanting to be a mother for so long, she occasionally takes frogs from the pond and pretends they’re babies!

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Sep 27 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

Just wanted to give a million bonobo hugs to Jim Holtz, who has just funded the building of the enclosure for the juveniles - this includes rascally boyoma, the little punk dilolo, and mwanda and all the little babies who are now growing up.

As you all know, after the infants arrive they spend several months/ years in the nursery until they have fully recovered from the trauma of losing their mothers. Then they go into Enclosure 3, which is the juvenile enclosure and learn to live in their first stable group. There is a 20 acre forest for them to play in, as well as a few gentle adult bonobos who look after them, until they can finally live in the grown up enclosures.

I don’t know anything about Jim, except he is a retired physicist, which means he must be smart b/c I almost failed physics three years in a row…

thank you, jim, from us and all the rascally bonobos in group 3!

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Sep 25 2009 | By: lolayabonobo

semendwa&elikia

Elikia is such a big girl now, and spending much more time away from Semendwa. She’s great pals with Keza in particular, they spend lots of time rolling about and playing. Keza may be a terror with humans but he’s pretty sweet with the young bonobos. Keza and Ilebo were playing a kissing game today, pretty cute

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