In front of some 20 ministers and delegates visiting the sanctuary and who came to Kinshasa last week for an international conference on the great apes, Andre explained how the bonobos were "incapable of surviving without affection."
It's feeding time at the sanctuary, and with the distribution of papayas, bananas, sugarcane and other delicacies for the 43 residents, the excitement mounts; loud screams and, in front of the visitors' curious eyes, simulated sex.
"Do they do this all the time?" asked one surprised Tanzanian official.
"Only to relieve tensions and when negotiating for a perch or food, and then disinterestedly, whatever the sex or the age," said Andre.
"They also have sex for pleasure but most of the time it's a way of making peace. They are a bit the hippies of the forest."
The bonobos, which resemble their chimpanzee cousins, are distinguished by their black faces, small ears hidden by sideburns and a surprising ability to walk upright.
"It's us 3.5 million years ago," said Andre, highlighting the age-old link to humans but also underlining the threats to the species which since 1980 have seen their population shrink from 100,000 to 10,000 today.
The bonobo groups are dominated by the females, who have offspring only every six years. In the sanctuary, 80 percent of the orphans have survived, thanks to the human "substitute mothers," without whose presence they refuse to eat.
Three baby bonobos have been born in the sanctuary since March 2005 and the association plans within the next year to release 25 individuals in a special bonobo reserve which will be created in the northern Equator province.
The success of this operation will be a reprieve for the bonobos, a species which intriguingly may hold the secret to AIDS.
"The bonobos can carry the virus but never develop the disease. With a genetic heritage which matches 99 percent that of humans, they could, in the long-term, allow the development of a treatment or a vaccine," Andre said.
After inspecting the reserve, the conference delegates promised a strong final declaration to protect the great apes which, according to the U.N. environment body, could lose up to 90 percent of their habitat to human encroachment over the next 30 years.
Name: Bonobo (
Pan paniscus)
Primary Classification: Hominidae (Great Apes and Humans)
Location: Central Democratic Republic of the Congo
Habitat: Tropical rainforest
Diet: Mainly fruit. Also nuts, stems, shoots, pith, leaves, roots, tubers, flowers, mushrooms, termites, grubs and worms.
Size: Averages 45 inches in length and 86 lbs in weight
Description: Long, dark hair; hairy cheeks; dark skin on hands, face and feet; long arms and particularly long legs
Cool Facts: It is able to walk upright more easily than its cousin, the chimpanzee. It is sometimes called the pygmy chimpanzee, but it's actually about the same size as the chimp.
Conservation Status: Endangered
Major Threat(s): Habitat loss and poaching
What Can I Do?: Visit
The African Conservation Foundation for information on how you can help.
