Conservation programs are cost effective, accomplishing a great deal with very little, but more contributions are needed.

Only to be found in the DRC, the bonobos, or pygmy chimpanzees, are one of humankind’s closest relatives and are facing extinction because of habitat encroachment and the bush-meat trade.

Daughter of a veterinary doctor and avid conservationist, Claudine Andre is the head – and heart – behind the Lola Ya Bonobo sanctuary. When conflict broke out in the early 90s, she took on the care of Kinshasa Zoo animals, enlisting help from local firms to provide food and shelter. Her first bonobo orphan was brought in with little hope for its survival, but Ms. Andre discovered that the key ingredient needed was affection. Since then, she and her team of trained workers have rescued many more orphaned apes, and her shelter currently houses 38.

In the future, she hopes to open a reserve which will also function as an eco-tourism project. The Ministry of the Environment, to which she is grateful for support in implementing the bonobo trade ban, is providing her with land, but she must rely on donors for finance.