Kipolo’s cataract: a story of the past!
Kipolo had arrived from Kikwit in June 2010 in perfect shape. It was only in early 2011 that we noticed he was beginning to gradually lose his sight. Little by little his eyes started to fog up with a blue tint, a symptom characteristic of cataracts. He started to trip over objects and couldn’t aim properly when reaching for something… We called in an ophthalmologist from Kinshasa who confirmed the diagnosis. The only solution possible: an operation! In order to give him the best chance of getting his sight back, he needed an implant and that entailed a rarely-used (and of course costly) procedure called phacoemulsification that required specialized equipment.
Thanks to a Belgo-Congolese team of volunteers, Kipolo was finally operated on in October. It was the first time ever that this procedure was carried out on a bonobo. For that reason, we took it slowly and first operated on one eye only… What a miracle! On the very next day, Kipolo could see again! It was unimaginable… and very promising of a life full of color for Kipolo! The second operation was as successful as the first one. There were no complications and Kipolo willingly submits to eye drops 4 times a day.
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And for the past few weeks, Kipolo has been seeing life in pink… ever since Bolomba, a newly-rescued female orphan, has been at the infirmary with him. They are inseparable!
A big “THANKS!” to the whole team of ophthalmologists, including Doctors Brabant and Kaimbo, as well as to the Livingstone Nursery School in Paris who has been supporting Kipolo from the beginning.
Bolomba arrives at the Sanctuary
 Between the various delegations arriving at N’djili airport for the Francophone Summit, a young female bonobo arrived on October 13th all the way from the province of Equateur. Hers is a sad story with a happy ending, which also testifies to the impact of our education programs: She was caught in a snare “accidentally” according to the hunters who brought her back to their village and contacted the ABC team at the reintroduction site at “Ekolo ya bonobo”, so that we would go and save her. Chacal and Alphonse headed off on motorcycle to get her in Bolomba, 150km from Basankusu. They then traveled with her by dug-out canoe to Mbandaka, where she finally got on a plane to Kinshasa.
What a surprise to see this sub-adult female, apparently so grateful to have been rescued, who spends a lot of her time gently grooming us! Bonobos will never cease to amaze us. Welcome to Lola ya Bonobo BOLOMBA!
A big day for Lola ya Bonobo!
In the weeks leading up to the Francophone Summit, Lola was solicited several times by local journalists. Such is the case for local TV channel “Kin 24”, which was presenting different attractions in the Kinshasa area that summit participants could visit during their stay. As a result, Mrs Kabila and the presidency requested us to host the First Ladies at Lola ya Bonobo.
And so it is that on October 14th the First ladies, led by Mrs Olive Kabila, honored the sanctuary with their visit. Everything was in place for a perfect visit! The Ministers, our beribboned burgomaster, our traditional chiefs, the staff all dressed up, and the bonobos at the top of their game!
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It was a wonderful day, thanks to meticulous planning by Pierrot. Adolphe, the chief gardener, pushed himself to the limit to make the surroundings beautiful. Stany polished his boat and the Mamas practiced new songs for Lola! A great day that will stay in our memories for a long time to come!
And in the evening, Valérie and Claudine were invited at the reception that the French Embassy in Kinshasa had organized in the honor of French President Mr. François Hollande and his partner, Ms. Valérie Thrierweler.
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