Above: A fellow bonobo ape is somersaulting with joy at the new arrival to the group
Twycross Zoo, which is the only zoo in the UK that is home to bonobos, celebrated the birth of a new baby last month.
Ten-year-old first-time mother Kianga gave birth to a male bonobo on February 9, the second to be born this year in any zoo across Europe and the USA.
In the past 12 months, there were just 11 bonobo births in zoos across the world, two of which were recorded at Twycross Zoo.
The endangered great ape species is found only in the basin of the Democratic Republic of Congo and according to the IUCN, the number of bonobos found in the wild has been in decline in the past 30 years, a trend expected to continue.
Following the recent arrival at Twycross, keepers were worried that the first-time mother might not have been feeding her baby very well and there was concern that he was becoming weak. But they didn’t anticipate what followed next as an experienced bonobo mother named Cheka, who has sucessfully reared several of her own babies, helped new mum Kianga with her newborn.
A helping hand
Two days after the new baby was born, Cheka noticed that Kianga was not holding her new baby properly to allow him to suckle. Zookeepers were then amazed to see Cheka moving the baby into a position on his mother Kianga, which allowed him to feed properly. After these initial worrying few days, the baby has been developing well.
The arrival of this infant brings the group at Twycross Zoo to 13 individuals. As bonobos face increasing threats in the wild, efforts to safeguard captive-held populations become critical in conserving the species. The two recent births are part of a carefully planned European Endangered Species Programme which ensures healthy genetic lines.
Dr Charlotte Macdonald, director of life sciences, said: “Bonobos use sex as a communication tool, so it is not always used for reproduction, but also to establish social hierarchies, or to avoid potentially aggressive situations.
"Because of this promiscuous behaviour, we need to carefully manage their breeding cycles. It is very exciting to welcome a second baby to our bonobo group in such a short space of time.
"We were astonished to find out about the wonderful intervention by Cheka, as it is unique to observe such an important social teaching behaviour. It makes us all proud of our fantastic lively bonobos, who are in fact the only group in the whole of the UK.”
To support the bonobo population in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Twycross Zoo provides funding to Lola Ya Bonobo, the world's only bonobo sanctuary, which cares for orphaned and injured bonobos. Researchers from Lola Ya Bonobo have visited Twycross Zoo and given talks to visitors to raise awareness of the plight facing the bonobo.
Twycross Zoo is open to the public from 10.00am to 5pm. For more information visit twycrosszoo.org
