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Great joy over little bonobo
On 7 December, a male bonobo was born at Frankfurt Zoo. It is the fourth cub for 24-year-old mother MIXI.
The bonobo (Pan paniscus) is one of the species categorised as 'critically endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and its population is currently declining. The great ape species only occurs in a very limited area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The main threats are habitat loss and poaching. Bonobos are rarely seen in zoos.
"The birth of a bonobo cub is always a success for species conservation. Frankfurt Zoo has decades of experience in breeding and keeping this great ape species. The first offspring in human care was successfully bred in Frankfurt am Main in 1962. Not least because of their special social structure and communication behaviour, they play a special role in the zoo's educational work. They are also exemplary for many species whose populations are threatened by human influences," says Dr Ina Hartwig, Head of the Department of Culture and Science.
"Our MIXI is an experienced mother and routinely raises her young. This gives the other females in the group the important opportunity to observe and learn the correct behaviour. The cub is still clinging to its mother's belly in its fur. So if you want to catch a glimpse of the young bonobo, you have to look closely," explains zoo director Dr Christina Geiger.
With the new addition, the Frankfurt bonobo group now numbers eighteen animals. Groups in the wild can comprise 40 to 120 animals. These so-called large groups divide into smaller subgroups, for example to forage for food. This social structure is known as a fission-fusion organisation, which translates roughly as "separating and coming together". This natural behaviour is also made possible at Frankfurt Zoo. The animals live in neighbouring enclosures in two groups, from which individuals occasionally move from one group to the other. This serves to keep the animals occupied and fulfil their social needs.
More on the topic
How the Frankfurt Zoological Society protects wild bonobos
About 70 to 80 per cent of wild bonobos live in various protected areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, the mere designation of such protected areas is not enough to effectively prevent poaching. So-called "paper parks" - national parks that only exist on paper - cannot effectively protect the animals' habitats.
The Frankfurt Zoological Society (ZGF) is therefore working closely with the Congolese national park authority L'Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ZGF and ICCN jointly manage the Lomami National Park, where bonobos have also been found, in what is known as co-management. Among other things, they organise patrols. These patrols protect the park on the one hand and systematically record the biodiversity there on the other. In addition, ZGF and ICCN are working with local people to develop sustainable income opportunities that are not based on the exploitation of natural resources and are committed to actively involving the local communities in the development of the national park.Beyond the Zoo - the conservation podcast from the Zoo and ZGFEpisode 32
Bonobos: Resourceful hide-and-seek players in the rainforest - in search of our closest relatives
Bonobos are one of our closest relatives alongside chimpanzees. The bonobos at Frankfurt Zoo were literally held up to a mirror in the service of science. In this episode, conservation officer Marco Dinter tells us what they thought of it.
Daniel Rosengren knows what hardships you have to go through to observe bonobos in the wild. The photographer from the Frankfurt Zoological Society visited Lomami National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and actually got to see the rare animals in front of his lens.Find it on the Zoo and ZGF websites and wherever podcasts are available.