Meet Lutula
Introducing Lutula
Loveable Lutula graduated from the nursery in the summer of 2021 along with her best buddy Balangala. They joined the older bonobos in Group 1. Lutula is very playful and social, a friend to everyone, and has many leadership qualities. This is an amazing change from where she began.
Her Journey
Lutula arrived at the sanctuary in March 2018 after her family was killed by poachers in the wild. When we rescued her from the wildlife trade, she was in very bad condition.
Malnourished, underweight, and frightened, little Lutula would have died if she had not come to us. Thankfully, with the care of our veterinary team, and the love of her new surrogate mother Peguy, Lutula slowly recovered.
Growing Into a Leader
Today, she is almost unrecognizable compared to the shy little girl we first met. Lutula was very close to her adopted mother Peguy and the two will always have a special relationship. She’s incredibly outgoing and loves to eat – so much so that the staff have teasingly started to refer to her as “The Foodmonster!” Lutula is very playful, and is always inventing new games.
One of her favorite games is practicing building nests on the ground, which is a skill she will need as an adult in the wild. She loves little babies, and can be counted on to befriend the shy new arrivals.
At Lola ya Bonobo in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we have a team of caregivers for rescued bonobos.
Kendra is a creative problem-solver who provides executive and operational support across the organization. As Executive Assistant to Ariel Rogers, she manages scheduling, communications, and day-to-day priorities while also supporting the development and communications teams with administrative and operational needs.
Kathleen Cook brings more than eight years of experience working across Africa, with a focus on the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she has traveled over twenty times to support projects spanning conservation, clean energy, and community development. Her career has centered around using storytelling, strategic marketing, and relationship-building to create meaningful impact.
