Meet the first endangered baby bonobo born at UK zoo
Zoo birth a ‘symbol of hope’ for endangered bonobos
- An endangered bonobo has successfully given birth at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire.
- The baby was welcomed by first-time mother Yuli on 11 September; the birth has been called a “symbol of hope” for the species.
- Bonobos, which share over 98 per cent of their DNA with humans, are listed as threatened due to dangers such as poaching and deforestation.
- Twycross Zoo is the only UK zoo to care for this species and participates in a European conservation programme to maintain a healthy, genetically diverse population.
- The zoo also collaborates with Friends of Bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo to protect the species from illegal bushmeat hunting and habitat destruction.