Meet Lolabu

Gender:

Origin:

Arrival Date:

Age at Arrival:

Surrogate Mama:

Fun Facts:

Male

Sankuru Province

February 10th, 2019

3 years

Mama Micheline

Lolabu is kind to all and loves to eat surgarcane!

Kind-Hearted Lolabu

Meet Lolabu! This little guy arrived at Lola ya Bonobo in March of 2019, and has adapted well to sanctuary life. He is very playful and was kind to everyone in the nursery, bonobos and mamas alike.

The Search

Like many of the other nursery bonobos, Lolabu was a victim of illegal wildlife trafficking. His captors had hidden him away in a dark warehouse, but thankfully, local law enforcement received a tip about his whereabouts.

With their help, we tried to rescue him, but when we arrived, he’d been moved. Law enforcement kept at it until they finally found Lolabu and confiscated him. Immediately after, we were able to bring him to Lola ya Bonobo and welcome our newest baby with open arms.

Path to Lola Ya Bonobo

Fortunately, Lolabu’s time with the wildlife traffickers was short, and we were grateful to see that he was in relatively good shape when he arrived. Although he was very shy and very stressed, he wasn’t too malnourished, and he had a great appetite from day one. After his initial health checks, Lolabu was paired with Mama Micheline who was his devoted surrogate mother from that day on.

Lolabu was rescued around the same time as another baby bonobo, Ingende. To ease their transition, the two boys were introduced to each other during their period of quarantine from the other nursery bonobos. They quickly became fast friends and remained close until Ingende's heartbreaking, sudden death from EMCV in late 2020.

Mama Micheline with Lolabu and Ingende during their first meeting. 2019..JPG

Flourishing Days

Today, Lolabu is doing great. He’s made amazing progress since his arrival, and we have big hopes for him in the future. Here at Lola, little Lolabu has found a loving family and many friends to run and play with. Although he is afraid of human men, he trusts all the mothers in the nursery. We hope someday he will be a good candidate for release into the wild, where he can roam free and start a big family to help his endangered species.

In November 2021, Lolabu and four of his friends (Tshimbulu, Diyoko, Omandja and Mpongo) graduated from the nursery, departed from their surrogate mamas, and joined the adult and older juvenile bonobos in Enclosure 2.

At Lola ya Bonobo in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we have a team of caregivers for rescued bonobos. Meet our other Bonobos Omandja, Balangala, Diyoko, Tshimbulu, Lutula, Semendwa, Lolabu, Loto, Ikela, Maya, Bola, Owila, Ikoto, Lenda, Lombo.

To join our mission to save lives and Rain forest please Donate here.

Find out more about Lolabu on our social media!

Lolabu eating, caption introduces him and explains his story. He was hidden away in a warehouse, law enforcement tracked him down and gave him to Lola.

Lolabu eating food. Update: he is doing well. We are grateful his time with the trafficker was short & he is not as malnourished as he could have been. He's in good health and, as you can see, he loves to eat! Here he is with his surrogate mom Micheline.

Lolabu on his way to Lola Ya Bonobos. We are thankful to the local authorities who helped transport Lolabu to us.

IT’S FRIDAY and TIME FOR BONOBO HUGS! Lolabu and Ingende were introduced to each other to help create a bond before being moved to the nursery to join the other orphaned bonobos. They were both shy at first and then quickly became friends! Be like a bonobo and share this awesome news!

Lolabu after arrival. Despite his traumatic experience in the wildlife trafficking trade, Lolabu is beginning to feel safe and comfortable thanks to the staff at Lola ya Bonobo

Happy Friday from all of us at Lola ya Bonobo! Our surrogate moms Niclette and S'arrive have their hands full at the nursery with Ingende, Lolabu, Kwango, and Balangala.

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