Save Endangered Bonobos in the Congo Rainforest

Say hello to Avocat, the newest addition to the Kokolopori bonobos!

Mom Azur welcomed this bouncing baby boy in June. Both mother and infant are thriving—and are receiving lots of attention from some of the other Ekalakala bonobos. Bonobo mothers are famously protective, but that doesn’t stop curious juveniles in the group from trying to sneak a peek or a cuddle. We are sure that Avocat will find lots of friends among his fellow bonobos.

Avocat’s pool of potential playmates extends beyond the Ekalakala group. You may remember that researchers in the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve recently published their findings about complex group interactions between bonobos in the Yetee forest. Four different groups come together to socialize, share food, and look for love. That’s up to eighty individuals! Harvard researcher Lillian Fornof remarked, “It’s surreal. It’s like being in a city of bonobos.” There’s one young female bonobo who seems to be particularly popular. We’ll let you know if we hear of any other little bonobos on the way...

There is some sad news, though. Another baby who was born around the same time as Avocat did not survive. His brief time serves as a reminder that bonobo life is precious and precarious. Bonobos only produce one offspring every four or five years, and bonobo mothers who experience a loss don’t always bounce back quickly. That’s why it’s so important that we protect the bonobo population and the habitat that they need to survive.

Your generous support gives Avocat and all the bonobos in the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve a chance for a happy, healthy future.

Links:

• Cooperation across social borders in bonobos

BCI and our partners at Lilungu have been keeping busy over the last few months. As we previously reported, construction of a new conservation center is in progress and our scientific director Dr. Mbangi worked with bonobo trackers to refresh their skills and improve their reporting. Construction is nearly complete, but we still need to put the finishing touches on the building. Next, we will focus on furnishing the new center and installing communications equipment.

Bonobo tracking teams have been diligently following bonobos in three target areas of Lilungu. Recently, the bonobos' movements among multiple forest blocks in search of seasonal foods have required trackers to travel greater distances to find them. Trackers often navigate the forest in the dark so they can find bonobos before they wake up from their night nests. Dr. Mbangi has praised the field team's diligence and we are now procuring solar-charged flashlights to help the trackers and to reduce the need for batteries. Deploying camera traps is also a future goal to supplement the trackers' observations.

We are also happy to announce that we have forged an exciting new partnership with Wild Forests and Fauna and their local partner, Congo Biotropical Institute. In April, our local partners at APBL (Association pour la Protection de Bonobo de Lilungu) conducted an outreach mission to two remote groupements in the Lilungu forest. The main goal was to secure approval for these new partners to begin biodiversity assessments using camera traps and recces. The communities were receptive. We look forward to proceeding with these collaborative efforts and can’t wait to gain more up-to-date knowledge throughout a broader conservation area.

We continue to work with the local communities and our new partners to expand our conservation efforts and to officially protect the Lilungu forest. The importance of this area for bonobo and biodiversity conservation cannot be overstated. With your help, we plan to keep the press on to achieve our goals!

As always, the progress that we have made is made possible by the generous support of donors like you! Thank you for standing with us.