Bonobos are great endangered species found in Africa that come with the undertaking of a Congo Safari. They were formerly called pygmy chimpanzees, dwarf or gracile chimpanzees however the scientific name is “Pan Paniscus”.

Bonobos share 98.7% of their DNA with man and can be referred to as man’s closest cousins. A bonobo can only be seen while in the Democratic Republic of Congo between and the Congo River and other basin lakes.

These great apes are classified as critically endangered by the IUCN with less than 100,000 surviving naturally in the wild.  They can co-habitate with other peaceful apes and are usually found close to human populations.

With similarities to chimpanzees, the distinct features of bonobos are long legs, pink lips, dark face, two or three webbed toes and tail-tuft, and parted long hair on its head.

Like most creatures the female is smaller as compared to the males. The males have an average body mass that ranges from 34 to 60 kg while the females 30kg.

While standing on both their legs bonobos can attain a height of about 115 cm. Bonobos also have a slim upper body, narrow shoulders, thin neck, and long legs when compared to the common chimpanzee.

The Congo is a one of the most diverse destinations when it comes to apes. With the presence of the Mountain Gorilla, lowland gorillas and many other species of apes many of which are critically endangered.

This makes a Congo a last stand for many of these creatures. Conservationists from the World Bonobo project last year marked off 14^th February as the World Bonobo Day.

The inaugural day was celebrated in 2017. The day doubles as Valentine day and was chosen due to the life of the animal but also to raise awareness to an endangered yet gentle species.

Bonobos are very empathetic. They are also super-intelligent, capable of communicating through an artificial language using lexigrams.

They can also go as far as making campfires to toast marshmallows, and fashioning tools. In other words, they are fascinating windows into our evolutionary past.

Bonobos are animals one should love and visit in their journey on earth. Welcoming and never gloomy, bonobos make love not war and we as humans can learn a lot form our cousins while on a Congo Tour.