Bonobo – An Expedition Diary by Andrew McAulay (Part II)
4.
Claudine is Belgian, but has lived in DRC since she was 3 years old, when her father came to work as a vet for the colonial government. By her own admission, she lives a kind of double life: hands-on bonobo rescuer by day, high-heeled society wife and mother by night. In 1994, she came across five orphaned bonobos in the market. Their parents had been killed for bush meat and now, traumatized by the long journey from their natural habitat to the city, they were up for sale as pets. Against all advice – and without any relevant prior knowledge or experience – Claudine took them in and made a silent vow never to abandon them. Thus were the beginnings of Lola.
Compared to the chaos of heavily populated, semi-rural surroundings, the internationally acclaimed sanctuary is a serene oasis. Simple, elegant accommodation, where we stay the night, is set amidst tall trees and sanctuary buildings. A large termite mound is center stage and a beautiful river runs through the whole property. There are 3 spacious, amply-forested bonobo enclosures, each bordered partly by the river and elsewhere by electric fences. We spend the afternoon observing many of the 70 odd inhabitants from the river and fence lines.
In contrast to chimpanzees (not to mention humans), bonobos are relatively non-aggressive and non-hierarchical. They are famous for their sexual activity, which is prolific, multi-partnered and unrestrained by age or gender. Sex performs a complex, often diplomatic function within the community, being used to resolve disputes and maintain relationships. We all keep straight faces as we observe various copulatory combinations taking place in quick succession, but the puritanical roots of our European human culture threaten to force sniggers to the surface.
In actual fact, I observe far less sexual activity than I expected. As we walk along the fence line, an old male joins us. He was rescued from a laboratory, where he spent many years being used for experiments. He has an old plastic bottle with him, which he stretches out in front of him on the ground with one hand and uses as a kind of skid. He keeps lagging back and then zooming up alongside us in some kind of display of power. He tends not to look at us, but seems happy enough. At one point, one of the staff asks him if he is happy and he gives us a grin of the type that indicates that he is. Watching him lope along, I comment aloud that I envy his mobility – whereupon he immediately performs a forward roll. Something is going on here…
5.
The next morning is the treat of a lifetime: we get to spend a couple of hours playing with the babies! Generally speaking, wild animal rescue protocol stresses the need to avoid imprinting on humans. Young, orphaned bonobos, however, are too sensitive to survive without a surrogate mother – which, in most cases, ends up being a human. It is for the sake of the ‘mums’ that their charges are given a bath each morning – and since our visit is a special event, we are all given a chance to play together.
Upon entering the bath house, Claudine is handed the youngest, Djillie, who is less than 3 years old. But Djillie has her sights set on me and is immediately reaching out. I take her in my arms and she snuggles close, her head nestled contentedly against my neck: bliss! Cameras are clicking, and just as I am beginning to get used to this delightfully unexpected encounter… “oof!”, someone has punched me in the crotch! 4 year old Singie is zooming around, sliding on the slippery floor on an outstretched hand, in the style of the adult bonobo described above, aiming blows at the most vulnerable parts of our bodies as he passes. It seems he is jealous, but he resists being held, preferring instead to explore every inch of the enclosure, with its climbing apparatus above our heads, strung with hanging ropes and tyres.
The other youngsters are content to jumble about in our arms, being massaged and tickled, but Singie is on the rampage, forcing repeated exclamations of his name from the humans. He is pushing the other bonobos around too and at one point he is on Jon Stryker’s shoulders, playing his shaven head like a bongo drum! One of the ‘mums’, Esperance, a stunningly beautiful Congolese woman, comes to sit beside me on the floor to offer protection. Singie darts by and she grabs him and wrestles him to the ground, singing and tickling. I will never forget that scene: the strength and affection of Esperance, the joy and rhythm of her song and the ecstatic expression on the face of the wriggling Singie, who has clearly met his match!
One day soon, it will be time for him to be introduced to the older bonobos. This will be done in stages, as gently as possible, but it can come as quite a shock, with plenty of sex involved. In the wild, a youngster is brought up amongst the adults, so the initiation is much more gradual… In the mean time, here with the other babies, Singie remains king of the roost.
Eventually it is time for us to leave. My t-shirt is grimy, but I had been warned. As I approach the exit, someone lands on my back: Singie again. I brace myself for the inevitable onslaught, but instead he is completely still and quiet as a mouse. I jog around a bit to get him moving, but he will not stir. His message could not be clearer: Please don’t leave, I promise I’ll behave… Eventually he jumps off and manages to squeeze through the exit and climb up the outside of the frame, naughty as ever… but I am leaving a piece of my heart behind and throughout the rest of our Congo trip I can feel him on my back, bringing tears of joy and sadness to my eyes.
Djillie, who is less than 3 years old, reaches out to me. (Photo credit: John Fellowes)
6.
Lola is the only bonobo sanctuary in the world, but its future is by no means secure. None of the funding comes from the government, but officials regard the bonobos as Congolese property and have been known to refer to Lola as a pet shop. Desperate for funds to combat poaching, amongst other things, the conservation authorities see bonobos as a potential source of income: from sales to overseas zoos and even circuses. Where better to find a healthy, ready-vaccinated bonobo than Lola?
Before we leave Kinshasa, Annette gets a chance to meet with Pasteur Cosma, Director of the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN). This is the authority in charge of wildlife and national parks in the DRC and a key supporter of the TL2 project. Annette raises some of the delicate issues surrounding the function of Lola and seems to find willing ears in the Director. However, he produces a government letter informing him that he can expect to receive no more funds this year. He shrugs, “what am I to do?”
Claudine has permanent resident status in DRC, but volunteers from abroad cannot be relied upon, with visa limitations, family issues and wars forcing them to leave, just as they have picked up enough knowledge and skills to be really useful. Congolese staff are being trained up to take on key roles and the Lola operation is evolving, with reintroductions now taking place in a recently secured forest block. This is one of the most important conservation operations in the world and Claudine has become a bit of a celebrity; a film about her work has been produced in French, which she hopes to have translated into English… but none of this guarantees security.
Bonobo – An Expedition Diary by Andrew McAulay (Part I)