Balangala's first meeting with Kwango, another orphan bonobo

Orphans like Balangala are victims of bushmeat trade - their mother has been killed by poachers. The baby bonobos are sometimes kept alive, and the poachers try to sell them as pets. Bonobos are endangered - all these activities are illegal.
Lola ya Bonobo, in collaboration with Congolese Authorities, rescue them. In the rehabilitation center they get a new chance to a life that was meant to be lived in the wild: they receive a surrogate mother (a human one), and after a while they get reintegrated in one of the bonobo groups of Lola ya Bonobo. Years later, the successfully rehabilitated bonobos will be reintroduced to their natural habitat in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
This video shows Balangala's interaction with another orphan bonobo for the first time since his confiscation and quarantine period.
This film is the third of a 4-episode series.
To help Lola ya Bonobo to continue their work, please visit their website: www.lolayabonobo.org
Thank you for watching!

[@anovosedlik]

So adorable...thank you to everyone working to save this species! ❤

[@Sherri1971US]

Love these mothers and babies wish I could help. They behave so good.

[@tinasuarez61]

🙂Beautiful! So are the adults careing for them & teaching them. 👍

[@harutoaoi6749]

adorable babies ❤ love them and mothers ❤❤

[@mark6302]

they are so precious the people taking care of them are better than I will ever be

[@earthn1447]

Amazing the difference in personalities!

[@xa9590]

I love hearing their food squeaks…my favorite great ape vocalization….just to hear the joy

[@Leyla7292]

So cute rascals 😍

[@mauraghirri1727]

Troppo graziosi! Si comportano come tutti i bimbi!

[@erichvonmolder9310]

The DRC has so much potential and beauty.

[@BettyThompson-qn7cl]

Too cute

[@tatertott2390]

I absolutely ADORE bonobos

[@michelemuller4106]

Grand merci pour votre travail ! Vive les bonobos et les gens qui s'en occupent 💞

[@1Schnellbachniko340]

Top!!!

[@nburnette3711]

I wouldn't sit by and let an orphan be bullied like that

[@punkhyena875]

Its not bullying they naturally play fight. Like its totally normal bonding behavior.

[@MagentaBell]

I’m confused. I thought the one on the right was the new one. I was surprised that he attacked the other one immediately and sad to see the already-socialized one just take it. Was I wrong and the one on the left was actually the newly introduced one? Either way it did seem like the aggressive one should’ve been stopped. I understand they play rougher but I bet in the wild one of their (bonobo) mothers would’ve intervened. At the very end after the credits the “mom” on the left told the baby to “defend yourself” which tells me they knew this was more than normal play but were unbothered by the plight of the one getting hit over and over by another bonobo he just met. They’re supposed to be very similar to humans but if a human toddler is getting walloped by another toddler we wouldn’t expect him to defend himself at that age. Nor would we allow the aggressive one to keep beating on the other one. It makes me wonder if the surrogates are really all that bonded to their babies or it’s just a job to them. I wonder how the care received by these orphans compares to the sanctuaries where the surrogate mothers are volunteers.

[@punkhyena875]

Basically they will both start being kind of playfully mean to eachother. You see it later in the video the one seemingly being bullied starts being mean. There both kind of showing play faces by the end.

[@punkhyena875]

They are play fighting if you notice there both making smiling play faces. Bonobos coonstantly play fight and love touching stimulation.

[@rosettamccoy6123]

Wish this was in englisg

[@beccafawn1460]

Okay...Im sorry. But naaahhh. First time the little one meets another of his kind. And you let the other one beat on him?? Yes I get that's how they play, and all that. Orangutans will do that too. But the first time out of the gate Y'all just sit there chuckling while the little one is trying to squirm AWAY from the other one beating on him? And isn't able too? REALLY? Not interceeding to keep the game more even and peaceful for 10minutes, and let the little guy warm into the combat game, before letting him get beat on? Sorry. But SMACK to the first chick. SMACK to the aggressors mom. And SMACK to the Dude.😡Oh...and SMACK to the French Dude.

[@MilkyWhite1]

I agree so much with this. The little guy seemed terrified.

[@shaindaman13]

I was kinda hoping it would gouge its eye out and eat it like a peanut

[@shaindaman13]

Best part of the vid

[@kendrahansen1175]

You are absolutely correct. The reason for this is that these people are not qualified to care for these animals. They don't care about them at all and all they want is the money and the attention they get from keeping these animals dependent and sick. They are truly disgusting people!!

[@KathyPrendergast-cu5ci]

They're not human babies; they're a lot tougher than we are, the young play a lot rougher, and the goal of this program is to help re-introduce these bonobos back to life in the wild with a group of bonobos so they have to learn at an early age how to socialize with each other. Presumably that's why the humans don't intervene.The smaller one obviously wasn't getting badly hurt, otherwise he'd have been screaming his head off.

[@aFieldBiologist]

Lovely!

[@CintiaGarai]

Thank you Mark! :)