About Us
We're on a mission to save and protect bonobos and their rainforest home - forever.
We do this through rescue, sanctuary, and rewilding, and by partnering with local communities to tackle root causes and save rainforest.
How We Accomplish Our Mission
We rescue endangered bonobos that have been orphaned by the illegal trade in wildlife.
We give them essential care and sanctuary as long as needed, and then, when possible, release them back to the rainforest.
We partner with and support Congolese communities near bonobo habitat to save rainforests.
We manage and protect the forest preserve, ensuring wildlife and their rainforest home are protected for the long term.
We raise global and local awareness of endangered bonobos and the root causes that threaten their survival.
We work with local and international authorities to uphold and strengthen the laws supporting endangered wildlife.
An International Team
Friends of Bonobos (US) was founded by Claudine André, who also founded Les Amis des Bonobos du Congo (ABC) or 'Friends of Bonobos in Congo.'
Friends of Bonobos is the US-based nonprofit that supports the work of ABC, which includes Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary and Ekolo ya Bonobo Community Reserve. We raise funds for ABC globally and we raise awareness in the US and internationally about bonobos and their plight and ABC's critical work to save and protect them.
The on-the-ground work in DRC is managed and run in the DR Congo, originally led by Claudine André, and now led by her daughter, Fanny Minesi, both of whom grew up in the DR Congo and have spent most of their lives there. They are the powerhouses behind this mission and these programs - some of the most effective and comprehensive bonobo conservation work on the planet.
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