Bonobos ~ The Last Of The Epicureans ~ The Rarest Of the Great Apes ~ Around the year 300 B.C. Epicurus founded a school of philosophy in Athens.  His followers were called Epicureans and they all lived together in a garden.  The story goes like this, above the entrance to the garden there was a notice saying "Stranger, here you will live well.  Here pleasure is the highest good."  But before you jump to broad ranging hedonistic conclusions, Epicurus always stressed that the pleasurable results of any action must always be weighed against its possible consequences.  Bonobos have heeded this theory of mind quite profoundly while forming the fabric of their society.  They make pleasure calculations like no other.

The garden of the Bonobos is the Congo forest. They dwell only here in the equatorial forests of central Africa. Bonobos are found in just one country, the Democratic Republic of Congo which was formerly known as Zaire. They were the last discovered of the great apes by non-indigenous people of Africa and were classified in 1933 at a Belgian museum via a skull which was classified as Pan Paniscus.

Some say that bonobos are the most like humans, without actually being human.  They are in grave danger.  Trying to survive in a war torn country where carnage has been the norm for over a decade, a country where poaching is practiced by many and since bonobos are susceptible to viruses and even the human flu, their numbers are dwindling rapidly. Daily. If you had a town meeting and invited all the bonobos to attend you would most likely have lots of extra seating, as even if they all RSVP'd many would have met their demise after the confirmation was received and before the event was held. They are sold for $60,000 US on the black market for pets and on the other end of the spectrum they are killed for bush meat.  Bonobos shun violence and avoid eating meat. They do not aggressively hunt other mammals and enjoy many of the same pleasures and outings that humans do.

But let's get back to the garden ~ there is a magic garden within the larger garden of the bonobos, a sanctuary called Lola Ya Bonobo ~ founded by Claudine Andre in 1994.  Lola Ya Bonobo translates to "paradise for bonobos" in Lingala , the primary language of Kinshasa. "Friends of the Bonobo"  is a US group of supporters who donate to help the 60 or so bonobos who live in 30 hectares of primary forest.  There is an estimated 5000 bonobos in all of the Congo, but these numbers are also dwindling at even a quicker rate. The sanctuary can not continue to house and feed bonobo orphans and ill bonobos without your help.  Sadly, one of the great apes, the one most like us is the rarest and the most unknown to the rest of the world.  Some of the indigenous people in the Congo state that the bonobo is striving to be human, striving to survive and trying to reach out.  

Here are some curious and wonderful facts about Bonobos

•·      Some bonobos in captivity have learned to use human language, not signing.  They are extremely intelligent and compassionate and communicate via a keyboard. Here is an NPR link that tells the story of Kanzi and Panpaanisha  http://ww.npr.org/templates/story/story.phP?storyld+5503685

•·      In contrast to male dominated war-like chimpanzees, bonobo society is peaceful, and matriarchal

•·      Females rank the highest and they form strong bonds and alliances to further cement their hierarchy

•·      Bonobos unlike chimpanzees do not aggressively hunt other mammals

•·      Indigenous people of the Congo Basin and bonobos eat many of the same foods except for game

•·      Make Love Not War is their commonly known credo. Bonobos are considered the hippies of the animal world. They are considered pan-sexual and often share food before having sex after a meet and greet. A bonobo version of a dinner date with a romantic conclusion. In their society, they apparently use sexuality in order to maintain peaceful and cooperative relations.

•·      Female Bonobos unlike their chimpanzee counterparts have the right to refuse the advances of an interested male

•·      Bonobos have more physical characteristic of humans than any other ape -  pinkish lips and females have mammary glands similar to humans, they have a cute middle part in their hairdo, these are just some examples.  Their natural average life span is around 50 to 55 years, but that is in a perfect world.

•·      Bonobo travel single file on two feet more easily and for a longer period of time than other apes, when not moving swiftly through the trees. When traveling a distance they walk in single file behind each other.

Epicurus also believed that a pleasurable result in the short term must be weighed against the possibility of a greater, more lasting, or more intense pleasure in the long term. Please help bonobos create a lasting garden existence and maintain their peaceful and loving presence in a jungle that offers little to support such gentility and a unique spirit of cooperation. Please pass on the story of their plight and if possible donate to  Friends Of Bonobos http://www.friendsofbonobos.org  Also if you purchase any of these items from the Friends of Bonobos website or at CafePress  http://www.cafepress.com/Bonobofriends. the proceeds directly go to Friends of the Bonobos.

 Family photo from Friends of Bonobos.org  All other photos from Cafe Press/Bonobo Friends

Michelle Viggiano  Phoenix & Scottsdale Plant Based Carpet, Upholstery and Air Duct Green Cleaning http://www.healthyhomeaz.com