JANUARY – FEBRUARY – MARCH 2008
The year began with a "miracle"… The Congolese
postal service is by no means the fastest in theworld, but the mail can (on the rare occasion) reachus!!! These kind words sent to us by Madame
Brigitte Bardot took all of 7 months to arrive!!! But
here they are! The Brigitte Bardot Foundation has
supported the sanctuary for over 5 years: indeed,
its kind donation covers the cost of all of the foodfor the bonobos making it one of our main sponsors.
Many thanks to Madame Brigitte Bardot and thewhole team at the Foundation for their trust!
The first quarter of 2008 started with filming.
We started to shoot a fictional documentary with
the Paris-based production company “Films duRêve” (Films of Dream). The feature film is to be
produced by Alain Tixier with whom we worked two
years ago on Return to the Planet of the Apes, oneof the last “Ushuaïa” programmes presented by
Nicolas Hulot. The staff at Lola ya Bonobo werelooking with some anxiety to working on the film.
They knew what awaited them! In 15 years, manyfilms have been shot at Lola but none, as yet, hadbeen intended for the big screen. Having read thesynopsis and the script, I sensed that this time round things would be more difficult than for a
documentary.
This film will feature the apes
themselves as the main characters with us, humans,
playing only supporting roles! GREAT... however, thebonobos are not actors but rather mischievous
animals, who are not always obedient and do as theyplease most of the time! Those of you who havevisited Lola will, I think, know what I mean,
imagining twelve year-old Beni, sadly stroking myface to say goodbye for a fictional film sequence inwhich bonobos are being ‘released’ into theequatorial forest… And hearing film-maker Alain
Tixier’s voice commenting: “Fine, let’s just do
another take just to be sure!" ....
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Indeed, what do you say to that, Beni? Why no? All dreams are possible with the bonobos... And
you know what, they all performed superbly! They were “perfect” as Alain said when he toasted
the bonobos, their good grace and their patience, when leaving after three-months of shooting.
“Phew! It’s over!” Shooting the film took up all my time for those three months, leaving me
somewhat orphaned of my precious time at Lola ya bonobo…, where things had carried on as
normal thanks to the efforts of those who had continued their normal occupations at the
sanctuary during that time, as if nothing was going on…. Let’s hope that on its release next year
the film will live up to our expectations and will be understood by all, throughout the world, as amessage for the preservation of bonobos in the Congo.

JANUARY
So far, so good! January was a quiet month at Lola. Crispin continued administering thevaccinations required by the “IUCN guidelines” for the release of apes into the forest. A
measure which, to me, seems to be rather excessive, but this is nonetheless the way things aredone today. Westerners are now strictly following all the rules and regulations which become
more and more demanding each year (a strategy to have more and more “experts” perhaps?). I
was indeed surprised to see that before releasing the bonobos from Lola, in addition to themany other tests required, we now need to check them for traces of the Ebola virus! When you
consider that each time a vaccine and its booster shots are administered, the 60 bonobos here
at Lola have to be anaesthetised… you can get an idea of how much work is involved… not tomention the stress endured by the bonobos each time! Being neither a scientist nor a doctor, I
can only reluctantly comply with these demands (or at the very least by disregarding myfeelings) in order to pursue my efforts to see the bonobos return to the forest.
At the end of January, I was given the title of «Notable » (or“VIP”) in my village of Kimwenza. Of this, I am very proud! The
ceremony was simple but attended by the mayor. Through me,
Kimwenza pays homage to us all! The « Lola ya Bonobo » project
now has an important place in the community. What more could
we ask for? It is recognition for all of us.
Finally, as a local NGO representative I was invited by theEnvironment Minister to join him on a trip through Equateur Province with a British delegation,
including the Special Envoy of the British Prime Minister and the British Ambassador to the
DRC. Our first stop was Basankusu, where we were met by Jef Dupain of AWF. After
presenting various environmental projects, we all took a ride down a stretch of the dark andbeautiful Lopori River. Our journey then took us to Mbandaka for a trip with the Governor of
the Province along the shore of Lake Tumba towards Bikoro.

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page 2FEBRUARY
While making the film we spent several weeks
alongside the wild bonobos in the forest of the
Maringa-Lopori-Wamba Landscape. These were
unforgettable moments for me! Sitting on the
ground with the tracker, surrounded by theentire party of bonobos who were just a few
meters away, we shared very special moments,
like we do at Lola! The bonobos are no different
in Wamba: not the least bit shy and very
intrigued by our presence. We followed them allday, from times of rest to foraging trips, when
they would seek out the little orange fruit inseason: the “tendés” of which they are so fond.
During these days spent following them, my thoughts
often went to the hunters who always tell me thatbonobos are magicians! “The group is there, then allof a sudden… they’re gone! And no-one heard a thing…
they walk around the tree trunks… hide… and thendisappear!!!” And it’s true! When they want to, they
all leave without a sound. Laughing, I say that theytake the “elevator”. In this brightly-lit forest, where
giant trees (such as those which offer the tendés)
tower over the smaller ones, the bonobos lower themselves down the tall trunks and long
branches which bend and fold under their weight, almost silently! Once on the ground they
quietly continue on their way. What clever apes!
We had set up mountaineering ropes to observe the bonobos
in the tree tops. The contraption was of great interest to
them: they came very close in order to investigate the pretty
pink snap hooks, right next to Géraldine and Stéphanie, our“rope specialists”! This exercise was tough, athletic and often
uncomfortable, but was organized as best it could be with thematerials at hand. Hugo, the film’s stage manager, worked
hard to provide us with the best there was! Part of me stayedwith “Kuki”, a female bonobo named by Dr Kano during thefirst studies on bonobo behaviour: I was given her name as anickname by the Wamba trackers!

Meanwhile at Lola, life was going on as the second film crew
continued filming under Crispin’s supervision. On our return, we all agreed to postpone further
filming for 10 days and the whole filming crew returned to France.

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I took advantage of the break and accepted aninvitation from WWF-France who were organising a
conference at the Senate in Paris. The symposium
was intended as an opportunity to come together
and review judicial protection and international
agreements which guarantee justice, damage
compensation and the restoration of habitats intimes of conflict. Indeed, war has serious
consequences on wildlife and the environment. Both have too often been the forgotten victimsof 20th century conflicts. International conventions do attempt to limit the environmental
impact of wars, but they seem so insufficient and so difficult to apply! We are at the dawn of a
new era, one in which the link between armed conflict and the environment is affected by theincreasing rarity of natural resources. The deterioration of natural habitats and the decreased
access to natural resources, potential agricultural land and, more importantly, to water areenvironmental causes of armed conflicts in the world today, which can only worsen with climatechange. (For example, the present-day situation in Darfur is considered the first conflict due toclimate change). We must find solutions in terms of international rights. What is at stake is not“saving” the planet, but conserving acceptable living conditions for humans.
I had been chosen for my efforts in collaborating with the Congolese Armed Forces - I am anhonorary member of their « Environmental Unit » - during the 15 years of war in the DRC. But
also for our collaboration last year in response to a sad situation in the east of the country, inNorth Kivu (Virunga National Park) and in South Kivu (Kahuzi Biega National Park), with the fastdisappearance of the Mountain Gorillas and the last remaining from our precious and endemic
Eastern Lowland Gorillas. Thanks to a long standing friendship with Mr. Swing1, whom I knew to
be committed to nature and conservation, I was hoping that he might send a patrol into thearea. However, as I also very well knew, this was not the responsibility of the United Nations
Mission in the DRC (MONUC).
My experience therefore confirmed the topic raised at the conference: tentative solutions are
possible in situations of conflict BUT they rely on the initiative of individuals. International
agreements have been in existence for over 50 years2 but rare are those who comply. The
Environmental Unit of the Congolese Armed Forces is not taken seriously, neither internallywithin the Army nor by the conservation NGOs. Without Mr Swing’s personal involvement it isunlikely that the patrols would have been organised as quickly as they were…
Bearing in mind that many conflicts of the 21st century might be linked to the environment, it is
my hope that the ideas of those who organised this conference, such as French Senator MarieChristine Blandin and WWF-France, will disseminate and eventually challenge world leaders totake them seriously and perhaps set up, one day, a UN for the Environment.
*************************
1

Special Representative of the Secretary General of the UN, responsible for the supervision of MONUC (the United
Nations forces deployed in the DRC).
2
Example: The decisions made at the end of the Vietnam War with regards to the use of exfoliating herbicides, which
had caused extensive damage throughout the country.
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They too have had much to do this quarter:

Marie-Laure’s newsletter
After completing my studies in veterinary medicine, I chose to specialise in natural resource
management at the University of Liège. I then decided to return to DRC, the country in which I
had spent my childhood, to complete my dissertation on the reintroduction of the bonobos of“Lola ya Bonobo” sanctuary. In mid-February I took the plane for the city I had left 10 years
earlier, Kinshasa. Back then LOLA was housed in a vet’s compound at “Ma campagne” and only
had the very first few orphans: Mickey, Maya, Bukavu… As I visited the sanctuary I was
astounded at the work that has been carried out since!
After a few days, I took a flight to Basankusu, a small town in the north-west of the DRC, only a
few kilometres away from the forest intended for the release of the bonobos. I am
accompanied by the sanctuary’s educator, Pierrot, in charge of community and official relations
in Basankusu, and Camille, a forestry expert for AWF (African Wildlife Foundation). Based on
ABC’s request, Camille will provide his technical expertise to support the project. Together, we
will go and meet the Pô (the native population neighbouring the forest), in order to explain tothem the release project and to evaluate the feasibility of the project. Following this, we will
jointly define the boundaries of the intended release area.
Having finally reached Basankusu, I discover the ABC guest-house, the town centre, the small
market and the magnificent cathedral… Basankusu is a small isolated town, where the population
lives in extreme poverty. The town is situated on the southern bank of the Lulonga River, where
the Maringa and Lopori rivers meet. Our house has a large garden overlooking the river. At dusk,
Pierrot and I watch the sunset with its blazing colours.

Once we had introduced ourselves to the
Basankusu authorities, we left for Boso-Ngubu,
the main Pô village, by means of a dugout canoe. A
meeting had been arranged with all the village
representatives. We were introduced to the‘notables’, the chiefs, easily recognisable with
their leopard skin caps, necklaces made of teeth
and their large bracelets bearing bronze bells
which they shake on meeting people of importance.

The meeting was very well organized. The chief first greeted the audience: “M’boté Na Bisso”,
to which everyone replied, and then took the stand. He was followed by a spokesperson, then
Pierrot and finally Camille. Then the “Elders” left in order to discuss among themselves and on
their return we all took part in an open discussion. They did indeed find it hard to understandthe reasons that lie behind our desire to protect the bonobos: “Are there diamonds in theirfaeces?” “Is there no risk of the bonobos nabbing our wives?” The Pô are not used to being incontact with people who work in conservation; rather, they more commonly meet with companies
looking to exploit the forest for logging or mining. And it is certainly the first time they everhear of the concept of “participatory management”….

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We had to explain to them the fact that we were going to work together, that we wanted toencourage them to become ‘the Guardians of the bonobos’.
After a long drawn-out discussion, in which everyone had
their say in a calm and respectful atmosphere, we were asked
to go with them to define the boundaries of the area that will
be reserved for the bonobos. We asked them to themselves
select for this task 12 representatives from all four Pôvillages and socio-economic backgrounds.
A few days later, after many long discussions about thedifferent criteria needed for the site (for instance, as many
natural borders as possible, proximity to Basankusu, etc.), we
went to look around the proposed site. Camille went into a
detailed explanation of the cartography techniques we will use
to map out the natural resources of the site. On the way
there, in the dugout canoe, we set up a little orientationcompetition: the first one to find out the North wins a badge of Lola! We spent our first night
camping in Monbengele, a small fishing camp on the Lopori riverbank. The next day was the firstday of walking through the forest. We tried to walk in a somewhat organized line: those withmachetes in front clearing the path, then those with the compasses to keep us in the right
direction, followed by those carrying the GPS devices. Next came the observers, who pointed
out to the rest of the team behind any sign of human activity or animal tracks.
We carried on with this routine for 3 days. Don’t forget that this involved stepping over roots,
climbing over huge tree trunks, running away from wasps, remembering not to lean on the prickly
creepers, and by-passing swamps… The landscape is truly spectacular! The giant trees of therainforest, reaching up to 100 feet, allow only a few rays of sunshine to penetrate through thedense canopy! On the second day, two trackers
who had wandered off, returned with a huge 8 footlong jet-black snake, which they had pulled andcaught with their bare hands before cutting off its
head with their machetes. They called it ‘Mombito’.
A few days later I found out that it was in fact a
Cobra! On the third day, as the whole team was
beginning to tire, a land tortoise was caught. This
one however was not eaten for breakfast, since
this particular species is considered to represent“the wise ones”. Indeed, finding the tortoise wasan excellent omen for the mission, signifying thatthe ancestors were accepting and encouraging our
project! We decided to give it to Claudine Andréon our return to Kinshasa… Later that afternoon,
we were all delighted to reach ‘Monzenze’, thelast stop in the mapping process. The mostdelighted of all were probably those responsible
for keeping the north with their compasses andthose carrying the GPS devices - who, by thattime, had realized by themselves that the devices
were indeed for finding their way and not forfinding diamonds!
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WAKA’s arrival:
During my stay in Basankusu, I got on well with various members of the diocese. In one of myconversations with some of the abbots about the bonobo reintroduction project, I found outthat a male nurse at the local hospital had recently bought an orphaned bonobo. Intrigued, I
asked more questions and managed to convince the abbot to give me the nurse’s name: “Raf”…
But he refused to give me any more details… The next day, I asked Chacal, a local employee ofABC, about it. He knew Raf well, so we called him and schedule a meeting. A few minutes later
there we were, in his office at the hospital. I introduced myself and explained the role of the
sanctuary in Kinshasa. I informed him that bonobos are an endangered species, protected bylaw. Then came the ominous moment… “I’ve heard that you might have one at home?” I thenshowed him a scientific article (which coincidentally showed a photo of a bonobo) on primate
viruses and the risk of their transmission to humans. His face dropped. “You know, keeping abonobo at home could be dangerous for both you
and your family. You’re a nurse, you should
understand…” At this, Raf accepted that we go tohis house to see the animal.
When we arrived at his house, Raf headed towards
a shed and squeezed in behind a stack of chairs. He
came back out holding a tiny ball of fur with a rope
tightened around its stomach. It was a tiny female
bonobo, approximately 2 or 3 years old. She jumped
straight
into myarms and held on as tightly as she could. She seemed
to be relatively healthy, despite a huge stomach, suresign of malnutrition, and several scabs on her body.
After 2 long hours of discussions with Raf and theHead of the District’s environmental section who had
come to join us, he realized that he didn’t really havea choice and officially handed the young bonobo overto me. We then had to start the long bureaucratic
process required to take her back to the sanctuary on
the next flight to Kinshasa which was scheduled 6 days later.
Raf had bought the little orphan whilst on one of his
work related missions further inland. She was from theforest near the village of Waka… So here was her nameall figured out: Waka! For one week I played the role ofa substitute mother: Giving her gentle baths, taking
care of her skin, looking for bananas, sugar cane, or
pineapple, and managing a serious increase in thequantity of my clothes that needed washing!!!
I had many visitors that week, everyone wanted to knowwhat a bonobo looks like! Most people in Basankusu were actually very surprised at her
similarity to humans, particularly when I showed them her hands. The women were however a bit
more baffled and couldn’t quite understand how anyone could have affection for a wild animal…

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After a week of intense care giving and cuddling came the time to take our flight. I had had asmall cage constructed for transportation. Once we arrived at the airport, a gathering formed
around Waka. Luckily, I had the Head of the environmental section with me, who took care of
all the administrative formalities. Once on the tarmac, the airline manager wanted to put Wakain the baggage hold!!! Out of the question!!! I explained to him that she was just a baby and that
I had been given authorisation to take her into the cabin. The pilot then asked that she at least
be put in her cage for the duration of the flight. I obediently put her in, knowing full well that
it would not be that easy…. Indeed, as soon as she was in there, she started throwing herself
against the bars and wailing as loud as she could, it was enough to break your heart! The pilot
rushed over to me and whispers: “OK, it’s OK! But are you sure that she won’t bother any of theother passengers if she travels in your arms?” Bingo! Waka will be able to come on my lap forthe three-hour flight!
However, no sooner had we sat down than Waka, making herself at home, spotted her food bag
and started loudly eating up her pieces of pineapple whilst expressing her joy at the top of her
voice… And we had not yet taken off! I was slightly embarrassed that her loud voracious
moaning were once again attracting the attention of all the passengers... On arrival in Kinshasa, I
was met by Crispin and the Head of the Ministry of the Environment. By evening we had finallyreached the sanctuary… Waka would soon discover her new paradise!

The death of our little Malou
As told by her carer, Jean-Claude:“It was Easter Sunday, the 23rd of March 2008, Lola had welcomed many visitors that day. It
seems that no one saw the first appearance of Malou’s symptoms. All of a sudden we saw her
tumbling down a slope in her enclosure. At first, we thought she was just playing, but when wesaw that she was no longer moving, it soon became clear to Amos and I that this was not thecase.”
After watching for a few minutes, the two carers decided to isolate the rest of the group inorder to take care of Malou. Dilolo and Likasi were however guarding her, making the task much
more difficult. “Malou’s hind limbs were paralysed, she could no longer move, we had to act

quickly and get her to the infirmary.”
Under observation in Lola’s infirmary,
Malou got worse and seemed in agony.
Crispin then decided to take her to
Pierre Verhaeghe at the Kinshasa
veterinary clinic. Once there thesituation got worse and Malou passed
away in the afternoon. The results of
the autopsy ruled out the possibility of
poisoning. So, what killed our little star?
Could it be the return of our worst
enemy, the Encephalo-myocarditis virus(EMCV)? Further tests should soon
provide more answers. In the meantime
Lola is grieving. We have received
messages from all over the world,
attempting to console us.

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