Bonobo - Population & Distribution

Common only in scattered localities

Current Population and Distribution
Populations have declined rapidly over the last 30 years, but there are no reliable estimates for current Bonobo numbers. Many years of civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has meant that few recent surveys have been done. Distribution within the country is very patchy, and total population estimates vary widely (from 5,000 to 60,000) reflecting our poor understanding of this ape.

Their actual geographic range also remains unknown. Bonobos are known to be found between the Zaïre River, the Lomami River, the Kasai/Sankuru Rivers, and the Lac Tumba/Lac Ndombe region, although they appear to be absent from the central part of this area between the Momboyo River and the Busira River. Within this large forest zone, totalling approximately 350,000 km², bonobos are absent or rare in many areas and common only in a few scattered localities.

New conservation initiatives in Lac Tumba discovered larger than previously recorded group sizes as well as a significant population in a zone previously thought uninhabitable for Bonobos, thereby illustrating the importance of surveys within their possible range and the establishment of new protected areas.

Salonga, a World Heritage Site of 36,000 km² (about the size of the Netherlands), is the only national park within bonobo range and was created in 1970 specifically to safeguard the species.