Association «Les Amis des Bonobos du Congo», asbl
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Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary “
Conservation Begins with Education”
Kinshasa, May 10, 2008 Dear friends of the bonobos, The year 2007 was notable mostly for our preparations for the release of a group of some 20 rehabilitated bonobos, from Lola ya bonobo into the new site of Ekolo ya bonobo (The Land of Bonobos). In fact, after several years of research, we have managed to obtain 20,000 hectares of primary tropical forest, the original bonobo habitat, close to Basankusu. Numerous contacts have been established with the government , but also and most importantly with the local populations, to sensitize them to the release of the bonobos back into their natural habitat. Pierrot Mbonzo, co-ordinator of the ABC education program, is in charge of setting up Ekolo ya bonobo. Crispin Mahahmba, co-ordinator of Lola ya bonobo and health supervisor, has been frantic. Since April, fellow vetrinarians who specialize in wildlife care have come to the Sanctuary to train our staff, and to complete medical analyses recommended by the IUCN, on issues ranging from genetics, to pathology and vaccinations. Again this year, Lola ya bonobo has been covered extensive by international media. I would like to highlight the hommage paid to us by Titouan Lamazou, in the introduction of Volume 2 of his book « Women of the World », in which Semendwa, one of our female bonobos, was accorded the distinction of being one of the 700 « women » sketched by Titouan. Ms. Brigitte Bardot honored us with a letter of congratulation on our work for bonobo conservation. Thank you, Ms. Bardot ! For the past five years, your foundation has continued to finance all the food costs for our 58 bonobos. We will never be able to thank you enough for this precious support. Many improvements have been made this year thanks to the generosity of our members and sponsors : Act-for-Nature allowed us to puchase the two-cabin 4WD vehicle we so desperately need. Fuji-Congo continues to support our educational efforts with a multitude of educational posters. And there are so many others... Without further details on 2007, I am glad to tell you already that 2008 will be primarily the year consecrated to the opening of Ekolo ya bonobo, but we will also be involved in making a documentary for the French cinema ! All this, of course, while continuing the constant care and cherishing of our beloved orphans at Lola ya bonobo... As always, none of this could have been achieved without the support of all of you ! Thanks for your loyalty, thanks for loving the bonobos of the Congo and, above all, thanks for your trust !
The Bonobos of LOLA YA BONOBO The Sanctuary has welcomed five new orphans this year, two from the province of Equateur (Boyoma et Eleke) and three from Lodja in the province of Kasai Oriental (Sake, Lomela and Katako Kombe). This was the first time we received bonobos from this province. H 
Sake (arrived in March) welcomes Lomela (September 2007)
Welcome Boyoma (male, age 3), Sake (female, age 2), Malaika and Moyi ya Lola (female et male born at LOLA), Lomela (female, age 3 ), Katako (female, age 3) and Eleke (male, age 3) !
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Malaika hangs on tightly to his mother ! wo births were registered this year: Malaika ya Lola, born in April, daughter of Kalina and Moyi ya Lola, born in August, son of Tshilombe. 
Moyi ya lola (at 3 days) 
Malaika ya lola (at 2 days) 
Farewell Lipopo! The Sanctuary also suffered two lamented deaths in 2007: Waola, a young female, who was badly mutilated when she arrived in late 2006, could not be saved despite our efforts, and we lost her in early January 2007. Lipopo, a young male age 7, was struck down by a virus in April. 58 bonobos are living at LOLA YA BONOBO at the end of 2007. Ekolo ya bonobo: Preparations for the Reintroduction
After several years of research, a site with the criteria for a successful release (a space of 40,000 hectares of primary tropical forest - native bonobo habitat) has been selected near Basankusu (in Equateur province). This site – which we are calling Ekolo ya bonobo (The Land of the Bonobos) – will be the world’s first bonobo release site. Since the middle of the year, numerous contacts have been established with the local population (the Pô Group) in order to educate them about the return of the bonobos to their former habitat. Of course, contacts have also been maintained with the administrative authorities of the region. We benefit greatly from the expertise of the AWF (African Wildlife Foundation), an American environmental organization, active in this region since 2004 when it founded the ’ Maringa-Lopori -Wamba Landscape», and when in 2006, it created the « Natural Reserve of Lomako » with its partner, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN). The outstanding sensibilisation work realized by the AWF among the local populations throughout the entire region has helped us immensely to establish our contacts. The awareness campaigns and the mobilization of the local populations and other concerned groups have been placed in the hands of Pierrot Mbonzo, coordinator of the ABC educational programs. An action plan for 2008 has been developed, together with the AWF and its director for the DRC, Jeff Dupain. The most important stages are:
During this period, at Lola ya Bonobo, Crispin Mahamba and the Sanctuary’s health team were also busy. Since April, the medical analyses recommended by the « Guidelines on Reintroduction » of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have been continuing – including discovering genetic data, making pathological and virological tests, and giving vaccinations. The ABC’ staff has been supported by a team of veterinarians and scientific wildlife experts: veterinarians Nick de Souza (African Director of the World Society of the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and a big bonobo fan), Michel Hallbwax, and Laurence Provot; Anne Fischer, geneticist of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI – EVAN), responsible for generating the genotypes of our bonobos; and our friend Brian Hare, director of the « 3 Chimps Project», in charge of psychological testing. We have received very positive cooperation from all the services of the Congolese government, who are convinced of the importance of our work. Under the supervision of the Ministry of the Environment, the Direction of Wildlife Resources of the DRC helped us to acquire quickly those documents necessary for the export of specimens. The Congolese Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) supplied us with technical support for the preservation of these specimens. The ABC also received assistance from the INRB for the necessary bacteriological studies. The technical preparations for the reintroduction of rehabilitated bonobos, made possible by the WSPA, USFWS and MPI, will continue in 2008: we are planning the bonobo reintroduction for May or June 2009... C 
Pierrot avec une école à LOLA onservation begins with Education! The educational activities of the ABC reached more than 16, 500 children and adults in 2007. The majority were young Congolese students, targeted within the framework of the scholastic education program, but activities with environmental workers, primarily in the provinces, were also numerous this year. The initiative for these activities comes mostly from Pierrot Mbonzo, the educational coordinator of the ABC. A new educator-guide, Blaise Mbwaki, has been recruited this year to help expand these activities. He arranges regular school visits to the Sanctuary, when he’s not out in the field with Pierrot. Since 1998, the ABC has organized educational programs targeting the youngsters of Kinshasa. These activities center around visits to Lola ya bonobo, where students are given the chance to closely observe the bonobos in their natural environment at the Sanctuary, participate in active discussions on the traffic and eating of bushmeat , watch documentaries, and play interactive games. Over the past ten years, this educational program has strenghtened and broadened, further reaching out to civil servants and other environmental workers. In the past two years, in preparation for the coming release and in response to a large influx of bonobo orphans arriving from the center of the country, the ABC has augmented its educational efforts in the provinces, especially in Basankusu. 
Drawing contest following a visit... S
ix missions in the field were completed in 2007, often in difficult conditions, combining trips by canoe, motorcycle and on foot: in the Equateur province, doing research for the planned release site in Bongandanga, Lomako, and Basankusu, but also in Lodja and Kasai Oriental, following the arrival of several orphans from this region. These visits have provide us with a good occasion to evaluate the population’s knowledge of the bonobos and their attitudes and practices concerning the trafficking of bushmeat, sometimes accompanying the villagers to bushmeat markets to witness directly these transactions. The results of these studies led the ABC to reconsider one of the preliminary release sites near Bongandanga in April 2007, thus identifying Basankusu as a more welcoming site.  
A meeting between Pierrot and representatives of the Basankusu Societé civile These visits also provide an opportunity to support local groups active in education and environmental protection. In addition to sensitizing the villagers and providing education in the classroom concerning the bonobo release site’s neighboring communities, we have also started awareness activities with the traditional hunters in the Basankusu region. D
uring this time at Lola ya bonobo, new educational panels, in both English and French, were installed along the length of Enclosure °2, thanks to the support of Awely and of Fuji-Congo. These panels provide detailed educational information for the thousands of enthusiastic weekend visitors.
Enclosure n1 hasn’t been forgotten: artist Maya van Bellinghen (here with Claudine) created and illustrated its new signs and panels. She also designed logos for us, and some of them have been used as designs for pins or magnets on sale at our web site.  And to end the year on a high note: Christmas at LOLA YA BONOBO!  Thanks to our friends at the Columbus Zoo and to many others all over the world between June and December who helped us organize it, this Christmas of 2007 will remain etched in the hearts of everyone at Lola and in the Kimbala village, home to the farmers who provide Lola with our fruits and vegetables. More than 100 children celebrated with us, dancing, enjoying cake, and getting presents from Santa Claus (Benoit) himself…. Our deepest thanks to all who helped translate this beautiful dream into a wonderful reality for the children.
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ublic Education: Books and Media Early in the year, Awely published for us « Who saved Beni, the little bonobo? », a very handsome educational booklet created from an original idea by Claudine André with illustrations by Florence Guiraud. Describing the typical life of an orphaned bonobo rescued by the Sanctuary, Béni’s story aims to add some reality to the image of happiness brought by a visit to Lola ya bonobo. The sale of this booklet in Europe (www.awely.org) allows us to offer its free distribution to the school children in Kinshasa. I
n October, Le Seuil Jeunesse published « Le Paradis des Bonobos: The combat of one woman to save the great apes» in the collection Un Métier Extraordinaire. With its double- paged illustrations and fold-out photo portraits, this beautiful book-document traces Claudine’s daily struggles, from the Kinshasa marketplace to the nursery at Lola ya bonobo! « Une Tendresse Sauvage » in German! I
n September, « Wilde Zärtlichkeit - Mein Paradies für Bonobos im Herzen Afrikas »---the German translation of Claudine’s book--- was published by Kosmos, which allowed Claudine to make public presentations in Stuttgart (Wilhema Zoo), Leipzig, Cologne and Berlin, as well as to speak through radio programs and several published articles. At the Leipzig Zoo, besides the public presentation and the usual press conferences, a delightful special school presentation was organized on September 19th. In Berlin on September 21st, the presentation theme was « A Life for Endangered Animals » and the talk was given in the famous URANIA hall. The newspaper and magazine articles published on this occasion had a combined audience of millions of people. In particular, the weekly Bild der Frau (circulation 1.088.846) published a double-page article in October, with color photographs by Christine d’Hauthuille. (See below) Kosmos also created a fine Internet site in German about Claudine, her book, and her fight for the bonobos, with a link to the Sanctuary web site. We now have a dedicated group of German supporters and fans! 
Titouan Lamazou sketches Claudine for his book « Women of the World» (Edition Gallimard, Paris). Semendwa (female bonobo, age 10) shares the spotlight: « Claudine and Semendwa », introduction to Volume 2. Selection of newspaper and magazine articles published in 2007 France Archéologia, September (5 pages + cover) « Man and chimpanzee: 2 species of chimpanzees » Télérama (September, Hors Série) : « Exposition à La Villette - Bêtes et hommes, je t’aime , moi non plus » (3 pages, Cover photo: Tatango) Zambon d’Issy et d’ailleurs : « Lola ya bonobo, a visitor’s journal» by Nicole Gianni (2 pages and cover) Trait d’Union-Union des français de l’étranger : “The DRC Bonobo Sanctuary”(4 pages) P 
Photo : Christine d’Hauthuille aris Match, May 1: ‘ SOS Great Apes» by Christine d’Hauthuille Belgique Prima Magazine, June 2007: « My fight for the bonobos » by Christine d’Hauthuille Tourisme Explorer, September 2007 « Le beau vélo au Congo » by Adrien Jovenaud Australie Australasian Science: « What make Us human? » by Vanessa Woods. Allemagne Thania Magazin, March: « Ein leben für die bonobos » Bild der Frau, 43/2007: « The mother of the pygmy chimpanzees » Mädchen, 2/2008: « Drama in the jungle » Focus, October 29: « Tormented relatives » (4 pages) Wilhelma Magazin, 1-2007: « Lola ya bonobo, a Sanctuary in the heart of Africa » (4 pages) Esslinger Zeitung, September 20: « Animal welfare activist fights for the survival of the bonobos » Hallo ! Leipzig: « I myself experienced inner peace » Der Tagesspiegel (Berlin), September 21: « Bonobos in the mist »; December 9: « I believe sex makes you braver » Stuttgarder Nachrichten: « Mein paradies für bonobos im herzen Afrikas » and 2 other articles. Russie National Geographic, September: « Our distant Cousins» (3 pages) Voyage autour du monde, 11/2007: « Congo: Bonobos forgotten and almost extinct» (6 pages) Auto défense, 6/2007: « The Planet of the apes» (6 pages) Autour du monde, novembre 2007: « This hippie, our Bonobo cousin» (5 pages) T 
Interview for Belgian TV “Le beau vélo de Ravel”
France (TV): « DIRECT 8 ’ 1 hour with Marc Ménard. Claudine André. USA (Radio): « The Paula Gordon Show » Atlanta: 1 hour (rebroadcast). Germany (radio, TV, internet) www.Lizzy-online.de (September 12) « Leipziger Internet Zeitung » www.lvz-online.de (September 12.): « Bonobo conservationist Claudine André is the guest of Leipzig Zoo » Stuttgarter Nachrichten (September 15) DPA (September 18) « Bonobo conservationist Claudine André »
NDR Fernsehen: « Kulturjournal » (November 5) 3sat: « Kulturzeit » (November 6) BR-alpha: « Lesezeichen » (télé online, December 2,6,8) www.lolayabonobo.org and www.amisdesbonobos.org Our internet sites in English and French continued to attract a large public this year : more than 25,000 visits to the French site in 2007. In the summer, Vanessa Woods launched the superb LOLA blog, www.lolayabonobo.wildlifedirect.org. F 
ilms-Documentaries « LOLA YA BONOBO PRODUCTION » For several years, our « in-house » multimedia keeper-of-the-records Florent Matheron has filmed and edited documentaries about Lola ya bonobo. He has made two films this year:
Florent and Kindu O 
P’ti Luc at Lola : a rigorous welcome grooming fficial Visitors and Visits from Friends
Oka visits us Likasi star of Apes GeniUSA Among several films and documentaries shot at Lola ya bonobo in 2007 : for a documentary about the intelligence of the great apes, called « Ape Genis », a crew from « National Geographic » came to LOLA in April. Their idea was to demonstrate that bonobos really are intelligent, which we all knew already, of course ! But this took nothing away from the pleasure of seeing them brought to life and knowing that this film will be seen by millions of people on television screens across the USA and perhaps elsewhere… M 
…how the bonobo stands tall and proud! eetings, Conferences and Exhibitions 
At the French Cultural Center in Brazzaville…
Claudine & Dominique in Kigali PASA Conferences (Pan African Alliance for Sanctuaries for Primates) from October 26-November 2, Limbe (Cameroun) - Education: Pierrot Mbonzo from June 22-24, Kigali (Rwanda) - Management: Claudine André & Dominique Morel from November 5-11 - Health : Crispin Mahamba et Michel Halbwax. The PASA Management Conference had two main themes: (1) the reintroduction of great apes rehabilitated in PASA-member sanctuaries and (2) application of the laws for trade and detention of endangered species, with participation of representatives from those responsible for the application of these laws in Rwanda, Uganda and in the DRC.  During the PASA Health Conference, Michel and Crispin made a presentation on the placental retention of Kalina during the birth of Malaika ya lola. The usual treatment with oxytocin did not produce results, so Anne-Marie, our nurse (trained as a midwife like all DRC nurses) had to extract the placenta by hand, with success. This was the first bonobo placental retention ever documented. An article has been prepared for publication.
has been published in The bonobos: behavior, ecology, and conservation. Furuichi T &, Thompson J (eds) Springer, 2007.
Vanessa and Luozi 
Anne Fischer Our friends Brian Hare (Hominoid Psychology Research Group) and Vanessa Woods visit us on a regular basis to study learning abilities and cooperation in the bonobos. Brian is associated with the « 3 Chimp Project » - the 3 chimps in question being the chimpanzee, the bonobo (too often called the pygmy chimpanzee) and the human… The initial results of this research have been published in Current Biology (2007 under the title Tolerance allows bonobos to outperform chimpanzees on a cooperative task. Through his collaboration with the Sanctuary, Brian is training Congolese ethology student Suzy Kwetuenda (a regular volunteer at Lola ya bonobo.) G  
Satoshi and Tashiro eneticist Anne Fischer of the Department of Evolutionary Genetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA) came to Lola to take the necessary samples to identify the genotypes of our bonobos, in preparation for their reintroduction to the forest. The Japanese researchers Satoshi Hirata and Yasuko Tashiro, from the Great Apes Research Institute (GARI) in Japan, spent three weeks at the Sanctuary in February observing the bonobos, and their stay included the arrival of little Sake.
Lola ya bonobo: Improvements and Infrastructures 
Arnold en action… E 
The offices of Crispin, Pierrot and Benoit UFOR containers: Taking advantage of the withdrawal in March of EUFOR (European Force in Kinshasa to assure the security of the presidential elections), we bought six containers in excellent condition, already transformed and equipped to house the EUFOR troops. With a minimum of work, (roof protection and « nature » camouflage paint) we created the following: staff offices (Crispin, Pierrot and Benoit); an air-conditioned storage space for fragile products and materials; a container-shower for the staff; and a container-toilet for the Sanctuary visitors. These containers were paid for by the Act-for-Nature association of Monaco, the Arcus Foundation, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and our sister association Friends of Bonobos. A 
new pick-up: We wanted to replace the mini-bus for staff transport this year. Superbly decorated, it brought glory to Lola on the streets of the capital, but its 12 years and 200.000 kilometers put it most often in the hands of Victor at the garage…. It is still impossible to find a used bus sufficiently solid to deal with the roads here. So we wait…In the meantime, thanks to financing from the Act-for-Nature, we have now a 4WD pick-up truck at least to spare the bus from doing shopping runs into the city! 
Bonobo Kitchen – continuation and finishing; « Kivu » house and office; laboratory…
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finished our new the bonobo kitchen thanks to funds from the 30 millions d’amis Foundation in 2005-2006. 
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 his done, we still have lots to keep us busy: awaiting funds to work on our visitors’ welcome-education center (to replace the old chicken coop), this year we are undertaking the long-awaited rehabilitation of the unfinished building known as “ Kivu house” which will serve as an office and eventual housing for the Sanctuary management and visitors or long-term researchers… Funds from a research grant of Brian Hare (one of the building’s potential users), augmented by
Friends of Bonobos, will allow us to start the construction. B 
rian is also financing Night Shelter°1 for a series of sliding doors to facilitate continuing ethnological studies at the Sanctuary. Until now, the « lab » of the Sanctuary had been installed in our nursing station. This year, thanks to support from the WSPA/Africa and from the French SPA, a separate laboratory has been built next to the nursing station, providing better hygiene and a calmer environment for parasite research and other related projects. Naturally, the nursing stations tends to be a little « disorderly » when all the babies jostle for position in line to get their daily treatments. The LOLA YA BONOBO Staff A 
Ready to face the rainy season: Val, Florent, Claudine and Sadico
Mamas Henriette, Yvonne, Micheline, Espérance 
Caregivers Jean-Claude, Stany, Claude I
Blaise
Anne Marie and Clémence Dr Clémence Kalemeko, veterinarian, worked with Crispin and Anne-Marie throughout this year preparing the release project. Whereas our adults are still intimidating, she knows with great expertise just how to make the nursery babies willing to take their medications – not a simple story! By the end of the year, Dr Patrick Monga joined the staff as an assistant veterinarian; his position should be confirmed during 2008, when Clémence will take care of the nursery. Didier Manzambi, surface technician, as well as Douglas Ibanda and Freddy Mavusu, our drivers, have also become part of the staff this year. Douglas replaces Jean-Lambert, too busy with our numerous visitors to also deal with staff transportation. Finally, we hope to recruit an accountant in 2008 to help Helene (and Dominique) with the administration of our multiple projects. End of 2007 the following personnel are working at the Sanctuary:
The Volunteers In addition to Claudine, Valérie, and Dominique, totally devoted to every aspect, this year we would particularly like to thank
Active Members (2007): Claudine André; Albert Buisine; Valérie Dhanani; Vincent Gillet; Me Roger Massamba; Victor Minesi; Dominique Morel. Fundraising 
Vanga and Mama Yvonne « Adoptions » of the nursery bonobos The most popular baby bonobos of 2007 were, hands-down, Lodja (female, age 5), Malou (female, died in 2008), Sake (female, age 3) and Vanga (male, age 3). Besides the l’Ecole Belge Lycée Prince in Liège, our bonobos have been « adopted » by the following donors this year:
(*) Adoptions made through Friends of Bonobos The virtual boutique of LOLA YA BONOBO Our on-line www.cafepress.com/lolayabonobo offers all kinds of merchandise (T-shirts, shoulder bags, infant clothing, mugs,etc.) illustrated in an original way with photos of our bonobos. www.cafepress.com/BonoboFriends presents similar objects in English. Les Amis des Bonobos in Europe In mid-2007, the Les Amis des Bonobos in Europe, a non-profit association, was created under the presidency of Claudine André. With its objective to promote understanding of the bonobo in Europe and to advance the efforts of the ABC for bonobo protection and preservation, the ABE is now the privledged contact of sponsors and bonobo supporters throughout Europe. S The ABC Administrative CouncilPresident Mme Claudine André Vice President Mme Dominique Morel Treasurer Mme Valérie Dhanani Secretary M. Vicent Gillet Legal Advisor Me Roger Masamba Technical Advisor M. Victor Minesi upporting Members et and Individual Sponsors of the ABC in 2007 Adams Bates ; Pierette & Dieter Baumesteir ; Tom Beyer ; Chantal Bollen ; Jean-Pierre van den Busshe ; Louise Cassier ; Régis & Aude Cavignaux ; Audrey Célarier ; Marie-Astride Chappe ; Véronique & Pauline Charnal ; Elodie Chaverou ; Agnès Cougnaud ; Shin Dong ; Philipe Frey ; Philippe Frontini ; Nathalie Gabet ; Caterina Helena ; Peter Jones ; Charlotte Jungers ; Isabelle Jungo ; Viviane Jurquet ; Groupe Kananga ; Jocelyne Kersuzan ; Esther & Mbonyo Hermann; Marie-Paule Martinod ; Jackye Olivie ; Clara Padovan ; Geneviève vanden Poel ; Christiane Scopelitis ; Adéline Stercks ; Hwang Sung ; Van den Brink. « In Kind » Donations Again this year, we would heartily like to thank the faithful companies and local organizations, including Air France, the Achour Group, Cilu, DHL, Fameco, Filair, Fujifilm Congo, the groupe oil companies of the Congo (G.P.D.P.P.), the Hôtel Memling, Nova Products, SAMKA, Sapro, TRC, Vodacom and Vodanet. They have offered free air transportation for the bonobos, transportation of books and materials, soap, posters, reproduction of photos, telephone credits, gas for our vehicles, cement, stationary, and many more things and services. Major Institutional Sponsors of the Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary in 2007 (Funds received directly by the ABC or via ABE of Friends of Bonobos) 
Photo credits: Claudine André and Florent Mathereau/Lola ya bonobo, Renaud Fulconis/Awely , Yasuko Tashiro, Vanessa Woods/Friends of Bonobos Yüklə 115,18 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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