After an intense survey through the Republic of Congo (just west of the Democratic Republic of Congo), researchers discovered more than 125,000 west lowland gorillas. Previous to this study, scientists estimated their population at about 100,000, so this find more than doubles their numbers.

The survey, completed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, is wonderful news, but experts are urging the world to let it motivate them to do more. Primate populations continued to be harmed around the world due to habitat destruction and hunting for trade, food and medicinal purposes. Finding these gorillas means that we have the opportunity to work hard to save great apes before they are deeper in crisis…before their numbers are horrifically low, before it’s too late.

Photos: Thomas Breuer/Wildlife Conservation Society-Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

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Swarms of Jellyfish have landed in the beautiful waters of Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod. They are pretty cool to look at, but they sting without warning, and they are a disturbing sign of global warming. Apparently, jellyfish like warm water, so as the temperature rises in our oceans, the jellyfish populations are growing, rapidly. While, we notice the effects here off the coast of Massachusetts, the jellyfish are spreading globally.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, “The explosion of jellyfish populations, scientists say, reflects a combination of severe overfishing of natural predators, like tuna, sharks and swordfish; rising sea temperatures caused in part by global warming; and pollution that has depleted oxygen levels in coastal shallows.

What does this have to do with bonobos? Well, first, if the Bonobo Kids crew gets stung while we’re frollicking in the ocean, there will be no one left to write this blog and spread the word to kids about our ape cousins. And second, and most importantly, the fact that the jellyfish population growth is global reminds us that this is a whole-planet issue. Everything that we do a

ffects ourselves, and our neighbors - near and far. Our actions have an impact on the land, the water and all of the creatures that live here - bonobos, humans and jellyfish.

Top 5 things you Can Do right now to help the planet:

1. Conserve energy by turning off and unplugging lights and appliances.

2. Get outside. It’s summer y’all, when we leave our houses to play, run, swim and bike, we use less electricity. You only need people power to bike around the neighborhood.

3. If you can, use fans instead of air conditioning. Air conditioning uses far more electricity and icky chemicals besides.

4. Buy local, buy organic. Tis the season to visit farmer’s markets and chow down on produce grown in your region.

5. Leave the car at home. See if you can bike, walk or blade to your next event. If you can’t, try to carpool!

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Upon returning from his whirlwind tour of the bonobo hotspots around the States, James Brooks, the #1 Bonobo Fan, took time out from his incredible fundraising activities to talk to Bonobo Kids.

Bonobo Kids: Hi James! First things first, rumor has it that you raised $4,300 for the Great Ape Trust of Iowa’s Bowling for Apes fundraiser! Congratulations!!!
James: Thank you!

BK: You had over 280 sponsors for the event, who did you ask?
James: Well, lots of friends and family! Also my dad is a professor at a University and I went to work with him one day, talked to a lot of people and asked them to sponsor me. Then my mom took me to the hospital where she works and I gained some more sponsors. Also, my website got a lot of people interested, and I put a bunch of fliers in mailboxes in my neighborhood.

BK: Have you participated in Bowling for Apes before?
James: The first year, I didn’t. Last year, I raised $1,050, but couldn’t attend. So this was the first year that I raised money and got to go to the event.

BK: Tell us about the event!
James: A bunch of people fundraised like I did, but most of them live in Iowa and it was easier for them to get to the event than it was for me. I had to drive from Canada! At the event, there is a bowling area where you sign in so that the people at the Great Ape Trust can contact you and let you know how they will use the money. Then we bowled and got to meet a lot of other people who are into apes. And we got to see a lot of scientists and people involved in the Great Ape Trust. Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh bowled in our lane with us!

BK: How did you first hear about bonobos?
James: I’ve always been interested in primates, but I didn’t like how violent they could be. Then I found out about bonobos in a great ape documentary, and how they were more peaceful. I really liked that so I just kept learning more.

BK: Have you ever met a bonobo?
James: I’ve been to many zoos to see them San Diego, Columbus, Cincinnatti and Twycross, and of course, the Great Ape Trust of Iowa. On a previous visit to the Great Ape Trust, I got to go behind the scenes because of my donations and the work that I’ve done. I fed Kanzi, and Panbanisha and Kanzi’s nephew, Nyota.

BK: What was that like! That is amazing!
James: I put the salad in a box that moved from the room I was in to Kanzi’s room. I gave him a lot of carrots in his salad one time, and he said that he liked having a lot of carrots in his salad. He used his lexigram to talk to me, but he could understand me when I spoke to him.

BK: Was there anything that surprised you about the bonobos when you saw them up close?
James: I couldn’t believe how much they are like humans - that they do the same things that kids do…I didn’t expect that! They even played chase with me. Kanzi asked me to play with them using the lexigram - I understood him because I had learned what many of the symbols meant. And from opposite sides of the glass, we chased each other all over.

BK: What are your plans for the future?
James: Now that this event is done, I will be doing a few more things to try to help apes:

• I am writing a letter to kids in Africa for the Bonobo Conservation Initiative
• I am going to update my website and my blog
• I am going to raise money for KidsSaveApes to donate to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
• I am going to stay involved with all the apes groups I belong to and work for them
• I am going to write to politicians and others who can help ensure that apes are protected and that the people of Africa and Borneo and Sumatra who live near them are looked after.
• I am going to get a Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots group active in my community.

BK: James, we can not thank you enough for all of your efforts…and for telling so many people about I’m Lucy. You are an inspiration and the great apes and this world are lucky to have you!

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As it turns out, some animals don’t see color, race…or species. When a tiger at the Kansas Safari Zoological Park abandoned her three cubs the day after they were bor, a golden retriever took her place. She nurses them, licks them cleans them…loves them. Miraculously, she had just weaned her own litter of pups when these tiger cubs came along.

Watch the video here.

This is a true example of connection, collaboration and unconditional love. A great example to live by.
Do you think a bonobo mother would help a baby from another species???

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Imagine a soccer team where the players refuse to work together. Each of the players wants to score a goal but they insist 1. on doing it their own way, and 2. that the other players are getting in their way. We think this scenario would look like this: members of the same team are trying to take the ball from each other, running in opposite directions, getting hurt, becoming angry…and ultimately losing sight of the ball, their teammates and the goal.

Wow. That’s pretty messed up, don’t you think?

Sadly, this is a theme that can be seen throughout the world. Whether people are on the same team trying to create positive change in their community or country, save the environment or even save the bonobos, within their efforts they lose sight of who they are trying to help, who their helping partners are and their final goal of freedom, a healthy world or protected bonobos.

With so many talented people working so hard to make this world a better place, imagine if differences and personal agendas could be set aside! Imagine if we all worked together - a united front.

Do you have any real life examples of when you worked alone, and it was hard, versus working as a team, when your efforts were successful?

Tell us about your experiences, we’d love to hear them.

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We just heard from Sue Savage-Rumbaugh that she isn’t the only one enjoying her copy of I’m Lucy: A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo! Apparently, she gave the book to Kanzi and Panbanisha and they LOVE it. How amazing is that!!! We hope, hope, hope that we get pictures to share with you soon!!!

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This is the story of our gifted photographer, Marian Brickner’s, journey to Lucy - the star of our book, I’m Lucy: A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo, and it is the second part of our interview - read part 1 here.

After I read, The Forgotten Ape, I started to look for bonobos in United States zoos. I found out that there is a whole family tree of bonobos starting with Linda, who arrived in 1962. I began to take my idea about using photography to change people’s perceptions about hurting other beings and transform it again. I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun if I could do something photographically to show kids that bonobos have families, how much they are like us.’ I hoped that would help them be interested in wanting to help bonobos.

I went to the Milwaukee Zoo first to see Linda and take her picture. I wanted to take pictures of her whole family, so then I went to Fort Worth, Texas to take pictures of Linda’s son, Kevin. When I arrived back at the Milwaukee Zoo with Kevin’s picture, Linda’s keepers couldn’t believe it. “He looks just like his mom!”

Next, I went to San Diego to try to take pictures, and tried to talk to the keepers and take more pictures, but it was very difficult. They were so busy and kept asking, ‘Who are you?’

Then, I had a thought, no one wants to hear doomsday information about the environment. People, myself included want to be inspired and motivated. We want fun and happy. I realized, what could be more fun and happy than children of any kind - so I started looking for bonobo kids to photograph.

So, I tried another zoo that had bonobos - the Jacksonville Zoo. I called ahead of time and talked to a wonderful man named Craig. He was so welcoming and told me to come on down. He said he couldn’t wait to meet me.

When I arrived, the first thing I noticed about the bonobo exhibit was that there is no glass so taking pictures is easier and the photos are better. And, then I saw Lucy…and then Kaleb…and the whole family. It was perfect.

This is the very first picture I took of Lucy at the Jacksonville Zoo. The family portrait. She melted my heart, and I hope she melts yours too.

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The long awaited interview with our very own photographer of the acclaimed children’s book, I’m Lucy.…here’s Marian Brickner!

Bonobo Kids: How did you first learn of bonobos?

Marian: I read the amazing book, The Forgotten Ape by Frans de Waal & Frans Lanting. Instantly, I was struck by 3 things:

1. How did I not know about bonobos? How are bonobos not as familiar to us as chimpanzees, elephants and lions?
2. Bonobos have no documented infanticide (killing of their young) within their species which is a huge leap evolutionarily speaking. Chimpanzees do have infanticide.
3. I knew that I had to do something to introduce kids to these incredibly apes. I had to spread the word.

BK: How did you become a photographer?
Marian: I went to a school in New York called Fieldston, the ethical culture school. We talked about the ethics of every situation. For instance, in kindergarten, we read the story about the three little pigs and talked about things like, ‘Why did the pigs split up? Why did only one pig have access to bricks?’

I went to that school from Pre-K to high school, and my plan was always, ‘how can I do things to make things life better for all people, to be an agent of positive change?’

I loved photography, So I adapted this plan to it, and it transformed some.  Photographically, my mission became this: ‘to stop people from hurting each other’. One of my mentors told me to take pictures every single day to get good. So for six years, I took pictures every day…and I felt great about my skill and I was ready to start applying my mission.

I had this idea that people killed insects because they just thought of them as ‘bugs’, they had no perception of them as individuals. So I began taking pictures that captured insects looking right into my lens. The effect was that there was a face, an individual, an individual going about his/her daily life. I thought that by showing people these images, they could make the leap from insects to people. They would see that just because that person, or bug, doesn’t look like me, they are still individuals and their lives have value.

Coming soon…find out how Marian found bonobos, and most importantly, how she found Lucy!

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Apparently, bonobos have gone through several names over the years, but Delfi Messinger, Director of Animal Programs at the Jacksonville Zoo, has an important message about the danger of calling them ‘pygmy chimps’ which many people still do.

The word ‘pygmy’ refers to size. It means that whatever animal is being referred to as a ‘pygmy’ is defined as very small. What Delfi has seen happen, when she was monitoring the trafficking of bonobos and chimpanzees out of the Congo, is that people capture baby bonobos and then call them ‘pygmy chimps’ which leads the buyer to think that they are full grown, but miniature and will stay cute, small and adorable forever. This is not the case, of course, the baby bonobos grow up and get big and strong (though they’re always cute)  - and then, people don’t want them anymore creating scenarios for neglect and abuse of bonobos.

Help save the bonobos by educating your family, friends and community. Bonobos are bonobos - they’re a little smaller than chimpanzees, but they are not miniatures or pygmies.

Save the bonobos. Save the world.

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Barack Obama has an entire portion of his site dedicated to kids - it’s called Kids for Obama. Even though you aren’t allowed to vote just yet, there are many things that you can still do. Of course, because these ideas came from Obama’s campaign, they focus on spreading the word about Obama. If you feel that McCain is the better candidate, you can substitute his name.

10 Ways Kids for Obama can get involved:

• Create a Kids for Obama Group on My.Barackobama.com. For example, Chicago Kids for Obama or DC Kids for Obama and throw a party!
• Write a letter or editorial to your local news paper, expressing “Why Barack Obama should become the next US President”.
• Find a Pen Pal - it could be in your school, city, state, or another state. Write and discuss different ways you can get involved.
• Draw a picture of Senator Barack Obama or “an expression of Democracy”. For example, the Senator sitting in the White House or working on Capitol. Hill. You can send your drawing to the Obama for America Campaign Headquarters in Chicago and it will be posted for the Senator to see.
• Implement T-Shirt Thursday. Get friends to wear an official Obama for America T-Shirt to school.
• Take an adult (voting age) to the polls on Election Day and encourage them to vote for you, by voting for Senator Obama.
• Post an official Obama for America Campaign sticker/logo on your school bag.
• Wear an Obama for America Campaign button and/or clothing.
• Host a Senator Barack Obama House Party or sleep-over.
• Contribute to the Kids for Obama Blog.

What do you think of this list? Do you have any of your own ideas to add and share? We’d love to hear them!

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