Lola Ya Bonobo's Future
Since 2005, Amis des Bonobos du Congo (Friends of Bonobos in Congo, or ABC) has been preparing the ultimate phase in its efforts for bonobo conservation, namely the reintroduction of rehabilitated bonobos in an appropriate environment in the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In spite of its 60 acres of enclosed forest, Lola ya Bonobo will not be able to take in new orphans indefinitely. Bonobos are the only great ape for which a method for release of captive animals into the wild has not been developed. The reintroduction of bonobos is a wonderful opportunity for the preservation of the genetic diversity and the repopulation of areas where bonobos might have disappeared.
In line with IUCN philosophy, the ultimate aim of a release program is that the released individuals successfully re-adapt to life in the wild and reproduce in a sustainable manner.
ABC has found a release site near Basankusu in the Equateur region and for the past few years has been working to gain the support of the local communities for the tentative release date of June 2009.
While there are significant risks, including the survival of the released bonobos, the diseases they might pass on to wild populations, and the long-term costs, we feel that the risks can be managed effectively and may be worth taking if the bonobo population keeps declining. In the long run, the strategic release of sanctuary bonobos may provide an important technique, as it has for other critically endangered mammals, to stabilize remnant wild populations.
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