Lola Ya Bonobo - Education

Education

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Conservation Through Education

Government officials, policy makers, and others responsible for the environment are encouraged to enforce the law and to protect endangered species.

The Congo Basin is a jungle three times the size of France. No other African country has such a huge habitat for bonobos or their endangered cousins, chimpanzees and gorillas. Though we, as an international community must do what we can to protect this precious rainforest, ultimately, it is the Congolese who will decide its fate.

Before Lola ya Bonobo, there was no place Congo where
a child or an adult could visit bonobos or discover the value of conserving their country’s wild heritage. The bonobos of Lola ya Bonobo act as ambassadors between their world and ours by giving thousands of ordinary Congolese the chance to come
face to face with what they stand to lose.

Our slogan is “conservation through education,” and we have
a number of programs so that the sanctuary bonobos have
the chance to capture the hearts of every Congolese who
encounters them.

Sanctuary Education

Although the sanctuary is visited by people of all ages, our target audience is the children who visit. Many children visit the sanctuary with their families, but for those who would not otherwise have the opportunity, the sanctuary has reached out through its 39 “Kindness Clubs” (each at a different school in Kinshasa), and by hosting visits by school groups. The Kindness Clubs exist to promote kindness to animals by motivating our members to take practical actions to improve animal welfare and conservation. We do this through regular visits to schools by our education staff and by sponsoring trips to the sanctuary.

Arriving at the sanctuary, the children are greeted by one of our education staff members. The children are brought to our education center where they learn the basics of bonobo life, the risks to bonobos associated with the bushmeat trade, and the role they can play in protecting bonobos and Congo’s wildlife. To help children understand how similar bonobos can be to them, we show them a short video in which the famous bonobo Kanzi works together with Sue Savage-Rumbaugh in solving all sorts of complicated problems;
in addition, we inform them about the illegal bushmeat trade. Impressed by Kanzi, the children then leave on a guided tour around the sanctuary’s 2.5 km trail system so that they encounter the bonobos playing in the ponds or chasing each other through the canopy of the trees, just as they would in the wild. Children, as well as adults, commonly make remarks about how they never realized humans and bonobos could be so similar.

Conveying a conservation message

Before each visit, an education officer from the sanctuary visits each school taking a portable LCD projector and laptop so that they can make a presentation in preparation for the children’s sanctuary visit shortly after.

Over the years, we have tried to improve our ability to convey our messages regarding the conservation of bonobos and their habitat by conducting pre- and post-visit surveys. With our surveys we have learned that children retain our conservation messages best if they are presented with them in class a few days before they visit the sanctuary (it seems with the excitement of being at the sanctuary can be a little overwhelming!).

Before each visit, an education officer from the sanctuary visits each school taking a portable LCD projector and laptop so that they can make a presentation in preparation for the children’s sanctuary visit shortly after. Between the pre-visit seminar and the experience of visiting the sanctuaries’ bonobos, the children of Kinshasa are learning the value of conserving their country’s unique, 100% Congolese ape. Overall, we believe Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary also has value for wild bonobos by giving Congolese citizens, and in particular children, the opportunity to meet our bonobo ambassadors who have the best chance to
instill the will for conservation in the Congolese.