bonobos

One issue that I have written about before and which I really wish got more attention is the near extinction of our closest relatives, the Great Apes. In particular mountain gorillas and possibly the Bonobo (pygmy chimp) are on the verge of being gone from the wild forever.

The main problem with saving the Bonobo is that, unlike the Common Chimp and the Mountain Gorilla, there are no big, well funded efforts to save them. Little of their territory is protected and no big names, like Dian Fossey or Jane Goodall, have ever worked to save them. So although they still have a larger population than the critically endangered (read that as almost extinct!) Mountain Gorilla, little is being done to protect them, so their population is declining far faster than anyone previously imagined. The Bonobo is one of the more fascinating Ape species. Many anthropologists think that the Bonobo, unlike the Common Chimp, does not use aggression to establish a dominance hierarchy but rather uses sex. Males and females will trade sex for food, for grooming, etc. Disputes often are handled through sex. Bonobos frequently have sex with pretty much all other Bonobos, and are thus bisexual. They are a clear example of how sex isn’t JUST about reproduction, but is also about social interaction.