5/26/2016 Somewhere over the Congo River Basin, DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo is among a group of countries from which the illicit trade in Great Apes takes place. Chimpanzees and Bonobos are among our closest evolutionary relatives, and are listed as endangered. While adult apes are typically killed and sold underground as bush meat for their perceived medicinal powers, infant apes are trafficked internationally for the high prices they command on the black market, many of them ending up in private zoos, and other wildlife venues in developing countries. The trade in exotic animals is, governed by the CITES treaty, can be difficult to enforce—paperwork for animals is often times forged and there are deficiencies in cross border enforcement as well as documentation.
5/22/2016 Ekolo ya Bonobo Sanctuary, near Basankuso, DR Congo
A Bonobo was seen along the riverbank at a the Ekolo ya Bonobo release site, near Basankuso, DR Congo. The sanctuary is located on an Island, and the Bonobo communities there are mainly comprising of orphans that have been bonded into reconstructed social groups over years.
5/27/2016 Lola Ya Bonobo Reserve, Outside Kinshasa, DR Congo
An adult Bonobo laid in the grass as it ate at the Lola Ya Bonobo reserve outside Kinshasa, DR Congo. The organization, which is family run, works to foster rescued and orphaned Bonobos, which are known for their complex social group dynamics. Many of the Bonobos at the facility were rescued as infants after their parents were killed by poachers—and were often times purchased from traffickers that would have sold them onto the international market.