Bonobo Handshake-An Epic Love Story

Bonobo Handshake, An Epic Love Story

Love is a word not often used in the vernacular of science. Yet what is it, if not love that drives much of our species to do unselfish acts of kindness, along with what looks to be superhero courage in the face of unimaginable dangers and diminishing odds? Scientific pursuit backed by this potent ingredient is the stuff of inspiration, the necessary contagion. So when I read Vanessa Woods book Bonobo Handshake, I found it to be an epic love story, with the primary purpose to educate the public about the critically endangered Bonobos. 

Vanessa Wood’s journey that led her to the Bonobos was as much a surprise to her as the books impact was to have on this reader. Like many young people uncertain of their purpose or mission in life, she quite a job with the Discovery Channel, one she admits she would have been fired from anyway. With nothing on the horizon she packed up to do volunteer work at the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee refuge in Uganda. There she met her future husband Dr. Brian Hare.  Brian speaks with a southern accent, as he is an American born in Georgia . Vanessa is from Australia and speaks fluent French, this would later come in handy. She also considered herself to be a Chimp gal. Vanessa had never heard of Bonobos before meeting Brian. This is one of the themes of her book. “We cannot save something if the majority of the world does not know they exist or that they are in danger of extinction.” 

Vanessa’s book reads like a thriller. I had to put it down on several occasions to remind myself I was in the safety of my own home.  Since the first war in the Congo, which started in 1996, most research on the Bonobo, our closest relative and least studied or understood came to an almost complete stand still. The cruel irony of the Bonobos, is that they evolved only in the Congo, a place where unthinkable atrocities befall not just them, but human populations and all flora and fauna as well, due to war. Throw in habitat loss, pet trade; poaching (i.e. bush meat) along with mining and the Bonobos plight is daunting.   Some might consider wanting to travel to a country that is listed as one of the ten most dangerous places in the world fool hearty.  Dr. Hare didn’t think so. He had decided he could no longer study primates in the sterile, confined and unnatural environment of biomedical labs in Universities. Not just because nothing could be further from their natural habitat than a lab, but he could no longer abide by the utter disregard for the primates mental well being he witnessed while studying for his PhD.  Still a scientist, and as Vanessa says of Brian, “ he, and now we were on a mission from god, the god of science.”  Brian wondered what many so often wonder, “What makes us human?” In particular, how had these primates evolved to resolve conflict with sexual interaction, be socially structured with females at the helm and never once been observed killing their own species in or out of captivity. All this was worthy of whatever dangers might await them. So in 2005 Brian convinced Vanessa to join him on his trip to the Congo, destination-Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary, the only Bonobo Sanctuary in the world.

Although any animal that is in danger of extinction is worthy of attention and full support, there is something extraordinary about Bonobos.

Bonobos (Pan paniscus) evolved on the south side of the Congolese river where food was plentiful and climate was temperate.    Confined to the north side of the river, chimps experienced a less favorable terrain and had to roam further for food and shelter. This difference in environment is now believed to be one reason for the disparate behavior of the two species.  The plenitude of food allowed the Bonobo females to cooperate, never having to rely on males for protection or sustenance.  Without scarcity, females did not have to compete with each other for the survival of their children.  This led them to bond with one other, and eventually to stand up as a group to male aggression. They also use a formidable weapon to their advantage - sex.

The Japanese primatologist Takayoshi Kano, who was the first to study bonobos in the wild in 1973, and the American primatologist, Susan Savage Rampuagh, argue that it is not primate nature to be violent, instead, they propose that violence is cultural in nature. Vanessa Woods and her husband at Lola worked to substantiate this.

 Vanessa admits she was initially a bystander, along for the ride.  What she wasn’t prepared for was having to run most of the scientific hands on experiments with the Bonobos. Initially none of the Bonobos would have anything to do with Dr. Hare, being a young male, so Vanessa stepped in, leaving him to be the assistant.  Female Bonobos where making their differences from other primates known from the beginning of the experiments.

 Unlike most primates, food was not a huge motivator to get the Bonobos involved in any regular experiment. Green apples, it was discovered, something that had to be imported, did the trick. A tolerance test, which will determine if animals will cooperate or share food, was done. What they found over and over again with different variations of experiments is that Bonobos share food. Not only with the Bonobos in the room, but others not in the room will be called in to eat. Vanessa likens their meal to a slow enjoyable French feast. It is a social act, often lasting up to three hours.

Socially structured with females at the helm, aggressive but non-violent, mitigating conflict with sexual behavior and sharing?  Clearly we have much to learn from Bonobos. Vanessa continually shows us the absolute value of these magnificent relatives and asks that we do all that is in our power to insure their well-being and survival. To lose them could mean a loss to one of the most valuable secrets yet to unfold, one that could help us learn more about ourselves and how we too could live and coexist in peace. In a world that continues to escalate with more violence and destructive wars, the importance of studying and learning from this close relative is tantamount.

One of the most spectacular outcomes of the research and collaborative work with Vanessa, Brian and the Lola Sanctuary, was the project to re-release the orphaned Bonobos back into the wild. An area where a local village works in tandem with the projects mission for their safekeeping. This is every conservationist goal, and as of 2009 until this day more Bonobos are being released and are thriving.

Educating the world and most particularly the Congolese population of the precious value they have in the Bonobos is the hope for their future. Vanessa Wood’s book struck such a deep cord in me that I have been filled with all the youthful idealism of a twenty two year old. That good stuff that cuts through despair and cynicism, so we can do what ever is necessary in the face of disheartning obstacles. Replenished with renewed vigor and focus, I have rolled up my sleeves to help save the Booboos.  For a book to accomplish this, since I haven’t seen my twenties in a very long time, is a women’s tale that has hit her mission’s mark, bull’s eye and dead center.