Young Bonobo on Mothers Back
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Africa
Wild female bonobos give birth for the first time at about 13 or 14 years of age and thereafter about every 4.5 years. Mothers will carry and nurse their young for four years, teaching them how to find food, navigate the landscape and interact with others. Males might stay with their mothers their entire lives while females find a troop of their own when they reach maturity.
Bonobos are on the IUCN red list as endangered and decreasing, with conservative population estimates ranging from 29,500 to 50,000 individuals. Multiple factors come into play, making conservation difficult. The low birth rate of bonobos is one of the contributing factors, as is deforestation and loss of habitat in the DRC, the only place where wild bonobos are found.
Photo © copyright by Dr. Edward Mikol.
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