Dear friends,

The good news we had been hoping for is now confirmed: David Mokamoa and Victor Likofata, the two trackers most severely wounded in the accident that occurred at EKOLO YA BONOBO last August, will soon be receiving reconstructive facial surgery from renown French surgeon Professor Lantieri in Paris. David and Victor will have to undergo five rounds of surgery over a 6 to 7 month period. The first round is scheduled in early February; Claudine will travel to Paris with the trackers in a few days.

We would like to sincerely thank all of you who have generously responded to the crisis with offers of support and sympathy over the past six months.  In France, preparations for receiving the trackers are in full swing: coordination with the hospital, with the specialized guest house where the men will stay in between operations, collection of warm clothes for the winter, donations of air-miles to secure free airfares, general mobilization to keep the trackers company during these long months, and much more.

As a reminder: on August 3rd, 2011, three of the trackers were bitten by the bonobos at the release site, EKOLO YA BONOBO, resulting in serious injuries.  The wounded men were immediately flown to Kinshasa, where they were hospitalized at the Medical Center of Kinshasa.  Jim Bofey left the clinic in early September; after a few months recovering at LOLA YA BONOBO, he has returned home.  Victor and David were more severely wounded: they lost the best part of their nose and several phalanges of various fingers; Victor also lost an ear.

At EKOLO YA BONOBO, the released bonobos are doing fine.  Food provisioning has been resumed so that the bonobos can be observed daily without having to track them in the forest.  After a two month suspension due to the presidential elections, consultations with relevant stakeholders from the Ministry of Environment and other environmental actors in the Maringa-Lopori-Wamba Landscape resumed this January to decide on the next steps in the release process.

Kole, one of our more recent arrivals, has no reason to be jealous of the experience of the bigger bonobos… especially when it comes to nest making skills! As soon as his hand was healed enough following his operation he began climbing up into the trees and crossing branches over one another to make a bouncy nest… just great for a little nap!

It’s really encouraging to see how well he has kept this instinctive behaviour so important to these forest dwellers!

Who said our lucky start doesn’t exist? Certainly not our little Kole! This time round it was shining over him…

When he arrived at Lola he had a very severe wound to the first three fingers of his right hand, a wound most likely suffered when his mother was being slaughtered.

Doctor Paypay, renowned in Kinshasa for his talent in orthopaedic surgery came to visit Lola with several friends and French colleagues on mission in the Congo; an opportunity not to be missed! Fanny, the Lola vet hurried to show them Kole’s wounds and to plead his cause. Without hesitation one of the surgeons, Dr Marc Anzalone offered to carry out an operation that would at least improve Kole’s handicap and give him partial use of his fingers back.

The operation took place the very next day with the help of the great veterinary team we have at Lola. Everything went really well and Kole was quite happy to accept the post-surgery care needed.

We’ll let you know how he progresses!

Earlier this fall we were happy to welcome a friendly team from Columbus Zoo (Ohio, USA). Lead by Mary Rose, a member, not only of “Friends of Bonobos” but also of PASA.

The visit, though far too short was very rewarding nonetheless.

In preparation fot the upcoming Ministerial Commission, organised in order to evaluate our reintroduction projet at “Ekolo ya Bonobo”  following the incident with 3 of our trackers last August, Claudine, Fanny, Jef Dupain (AWF) invited for the event along with our 3 american visitors were able to discuss all the aspects of the behaviour of the bonobos; They brought a valuable and proffessional insight of captivity for bonobos.

Following the meeting, Mary, Audra and Terry went and indulged in a slightly rough play session with the little ones in the Nursery. They won’t soon forget both the mischievousness and the tender cuddles on behalf of the young bonobo orphans .

The joys of the Nursery!

At Lola, dental hygiene is no joke: Kasai, one of our more recent arrivals, was very curious on arrival at Lola and enjoyed imitating her substitution mother. During her quarantine period she got into practising the use of a toothbrush, not a bad effort!! No mention of her favourite brand of toothpaste though…

Milk time… the only time of day when all our happy little rascals come together…without having to chase them down first! They always manage to spot the bucket containing the “white treasure” even when it is nowhere near them! That’s when the cacophony starts, they seem to have understood that thanks to this delicious beverage they will soon grow big and strong like their elders that they observe everyday in the nearby enclosures .

How on earth might Kasongo have gotten himself into this situation? Well, believe it or not he was attempting a little escape via the lake… but is seems he had forgotten his keeper, Stany’s watchful eye… Stany managed to gently but firmly dissuade the fugitive who showed no resistance and gave himself up quite easily

Every now and then we all get the urge to make a change… first stop… the hairdresser’s of course. Here at Lola we have our very own little hairstylist… Kananga! And as you can see she doesn’t choose just any model for her work… but the long blond locks that belong to Fanny, the Lola vet. If you’re interested… please call to book an appointment with Kananga…

His rescue was a total fluke; a team of researchers from the INRB (Congolese National Institute for Biomedical Research) including an American researcher, Annie, had gone on a business trip to Kole, a small town in the Province of Eastern Kasaï.

It was there, whilst visiting a nurse’s home, that Annie discovered a little bonobo, kept in a cupboard. He was terrified and had a severe wound to his hand.

Annie immediately contacted us here at the sanctuary that she knew well, and put everything in place to bring the little guy back to us on the flight that they had chartered. Fanny, the Lola vet, met the team at the airport and took him on.

He is about 3 years old, a very handsome little bonobo with long black hairs and he is very sweet tempered. His quarantine is going well and he will soon be undergoing surgery on his injured hand.

Welcome to Lola ya Bonobo little Kole!!!

Kole in Annie’s arms – his hero!

Kole surrounded by the medical team during his quarantine period.