An ape living in forests south of the Congo River whose groups gather or split as food availability changes.
Its fur is black, and the bare parts of its face are dark even when young.
Bonobos in a sanctuary sometimes make otherwise inaccessible food available to members of another group. Climbing to a high apparatus and removing a pin drops fruit on the recipient’s side. Such assistance was directed toward animals that had never lived together in the same group.
A 2017 study tested sixteen bonobos aged six to fifteen at Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Removing a wooden pin above the ceiling dropped an apple into an adjacent tunnel. The individual operating the apparatus could neither eat the apple nor physically interact with the recipient. Nevertheless, pins were released more often when the recipient could enter the food tunnel than when it was in a separate room without access. Assistance did not differ clearly between conditions allowing recipients to extend an arm and conditions where narrow mesh blocked that gesture. The recipients belonged to neighbouring groups without routine physical contact.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
At Ekolo ya Bonobo Community Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo, rescued victims of illegal wildlife trade are rehabilitated and selected groups returned to forest habitat. An August 2025 report by the operating organisation described released bonobos foraging, building night nests and raising young, with ten infants born at the reserve. Forest-guard patrols, community conservation agreements, school programmes and radio activities accompany the work. The programme combines rehabilitation, habitat protection and cooperation with neighbouring communities.