Lola Ya Bonobo: The Paradise of the Bonobos
Founded by Claudine Andre in 1994, Lola ya Bonobo is the sanctuary of the NGO, Les Amis des Bonobos du Congo (ABC). Since 2002, the sanctuary has been located at Les Petites Chutes de la Lukaya, just outside of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo..
Lola ya Bonobo means ‘paradise for bonobos’ in Lingala, the main language of Kinshasa
In 2007, Lola ya Bonobo is home to 52 bonobos who live in 30 hectares of primary forest.
Friends of Bonobos are the generous people of the United States who
support “Lola Ya Bonobo” sanctuary
Read the Lola ya Bonobo 2006 Annual Report
Lola ya Bonobo is a member of the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance.
Why do we need sanctuaries?
Rehabilitation. Education. Reintroduction.
It is illegal to sell bonobos. Without a sanctuary, there would be no way to enforce this law. There is currently a trade in bonobos who are sold as pets in Europe, USA, and the Middle East. Mothers and whole communities are killed for bush meat and a bonobo infant can sell for US$60,000 on the black market.
When bonobos are confiscated by the police, there must be somewhere to put them otherwise the bonobos will be killed or kept in cages. With a sanctuary, not only is there a safe, rich environment where the rescued orphans can live a normal life, but some of these orphans may eventually be reintroduced into the wild.
Sanctuaries can educate the local population; the main consumers of bush meat. If sanctuaries can win over the local population to appreciate bonobos for the rare and wonderful animals they are, perhaps the demand for bush meat will decrease. There are very few education programs about environmental protection in Congo. Sanctuaries are often situated right next to the main cities and can have a tremendous impact on education.
An extract from the presentation of Claudine Andre at the conference of Great Apes in Malaisie, 1998
‘During my years as a volunteer at the Zoological Gardens in Kinshasa, I was struck by the important impact the animals had on the children and their behaviour. Their curiosity, their desire to learn, convinced me that direct visual contact with the animals was the best possible education for African children.
Most of the population in the towns and cities of my country, The Democratic Republic of Congo, don’t have the money to visit protected animals in the vast national parks. Without zoos and sanctuaries, the Congolese would never have a chance to see the endemic animals of their own country.
Of course, zoos are the fashion these days! But in a sanctuary, the infants who were snatched from their mothers and condemned to a life as orphans, these infants can help educate the visitors who pass through and hopefully save the remaining wild bonobos of our country.’
Claudine Andre
(Photo Stéphane Gladieux 2006)
What happens when bonobos arrive at our sanctuary?
Keeping a baby bonobo alive is a challenge. Keeping a whole nursery in good health takes a miracle!
When a baby bonobo is found for sale on the streets of Kinshasa, an orphan of the bushmeat trade, Lola ya Bonobo of Congo mobilises the inspectors of the Ministry of Environment for the Democratic Republic of Congo to seize the orphan under the Convention International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and Congolese law on the detention of protected species. The Ministry confiscates the bonobo and sends it to Lola ya Bonobo for rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation starts with the orphans given immediate medical attention. The babies often arrive in critical condition (respiratory infections, parasites, skin disease etc.) Bonobos are extremely fragile and their survival is dependant on rigorous and swift treatment for their illnesses (real and suspected!). Apart from the Scientific Coordinator of the Sanctuary who looks after the medical needs of the bonobos, we also have a full time nurse.
Just as crucial as physical treatment is psychological treatment. The bonobos who arrive are often extremely traumatized and we have lost more than one orphan to sheer stress. To combat this, infant bonobos are immediately given to a substitute mother who give them all the love and reassurances they need to survive. Lola ya Bonobo employs four substitute mothers who look after the infants in the nursery.
At the age of 5 or 6, if the infants are sufficiently healthy and confident, we introduce them into a group of juveniles and adults.
Feeding the bonobos
Over 10 tonnes of fruit and vegetables a month…
At Lola ya Bonobo, the diet of the bonobos is mostly made up of fruits and vegetables (bananas, avocadoes, sugar cane) with protein supplements in the form of milk, soya, yoghurt and boiled eggs.
This diet replaces the protein rich plants that are native to the primary forests of the Congo Basin that feed the wild bonobos, but are impossible to find in Kinshasa.
Each bonobo eats over 6.5 kilos of fruits and vegetables a day. Although there are seasonal variations, the daily menu of a bonobo goes something like this:
* 1 kg of sugar cane * 10 bananas
* 1 small bottle of soya milk
* 2kg of vegetables (cabbage, sweet potato leaves, cucumber, corn, etc.)
* 1.1kg of papaya
* 1kg of other seasonal fruit
*200g of peanuts
The bonobos also eat a boiled egg every 2 days and yoghurt every 3 days.
Infants have a special diet made up of milk and fruit. Nutritional supplements are also given to pregnant mothers and bonobos who are ill. The diet generally includes avocadoes, onions, bananas, as well as milk for the little ones. Since 2004, we also enrich certain adult females to nourish their fur.
The fresh food alone costs US$100 for one bonobo for a month.
We buy the fruit and vegetables (close to 10 tonnes a month) at the local markets surrounding the sanctuary.
Claudine Andre
Claudine Andre, the founder and director of the sanctuary, came to Congo
at the age of 5 with her father, a French veterinarian. As a citizen of
this beautiful and often troubled nation, she has dedicated her life to
the care and protection of these peaceful, intelligent animals.
Our Sponsors
2006-2007
|
|
||