Bonobos are our closest living relatives alongside chimpanzees, found only in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their welfare is threatened by bushmeat hunting, habitat loss, and the illegal pet trade.
Bonobo welfare harms arise from hunting, orphaning, and habitat fragmentation. Bushmeat hunters who kill mother bonobos create orphaned infants that experience profound psychological trauma from maternal separation. Orphaned bonobos require years of care that mimics maternal bonding and must be gradually integrated into social groups before any consideration of release. The instability of the DRC makes habitat protection and anti-hunting enforcement extremely challenging. Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary in Kinshasa provides world-leading rehabilitation care, but the problem of sustained habitat and legal protection requires political engagement as well as wildlife management.