Bonobos are among the most endangered great apes, found only in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where ongoing conflict, habitat loss, and bushmeat hunting threaten both population survival and individual welfare.
Bonobos face welfare harms from bushmeat hunting, habitat destruction from artisanal mining and agriculture, and the stress of living in landscapes increasingly fragmented and disturbed by human activity. Orphaned bonobos rescued from the bushmeat trade experience severe psychological trauma from witnessing their mothers being killed, similar to the trauma documented in chimpanzees. Sanctuary residents at Lola ya Bonobo receive long-term care and are eventually released to protected forest where possible, but the small scale of available sanctuary capacity relative to the number of orphans produced by hunting creates a permanent welfare backlog. Conservation of wild bonobos requires addressing the root causes of hunting through community engagement and improved food security.