The bonobos
Expressive faces.
Fanny Schertzer — CC BY 3.0 · Fanny Schertzer — CC BY 3.0 · Fanny Schertzer — CC BY 3.0 · Fanny Schertzer — CC BY 3.0 · Fanny Schertzer — CC BY 3.0
Lola ya Bonobo is the world's only sanctuary for orphaned bonobos, just south of the Kimwenza suburb of Kinshasa at the Petites Chutes de la Lukaya. Its name means «paradise for bonobos» in Lingala. About 60 bonobos live here in 30 hectares of primary forest, making it one of the finest wildlife experiences in the capital. Claudine André founded it in 1994, and it moved to its present site in 2002. Bonobos are an endangered species found in the wild only in DR Congo. They usually arrive as infants, confiscated from the bushmeat or pet trade. Substitute mothers care for them at first, before they join groups of their peers. You see bonobos with black fur and expressive faces, sitting on the grass, eating leaves or playing among the trees. They roam broad areas of thick green forest, and visitors watch from paths behind fences. A small stream and low falls run through the site. It is about 19 km from central Kinshasa in a straight line. Visits go with a guide at set times. Do not feed the bonobos, and keep back from the fences.
Expressive faces.
30 hectares.
On site.
Kimwenza, south of Kinshasa, DR Congo
An endangered ape close to the chimpanzee, wild only in DR Congo.
About two hours with a guide.