Bonobos are our closest living relatives alongside chimpanzees—we share 99% of our DNA with them. Yet bonobos are perhaps the least known of the African great apes and time may be running out for us to correct that. In 2013, researchers from WCS and elsewhere reported that, due to human encroachment and poaching, only about one-fourth of the bonobo's historic range remained viable.

Recently, with our partners, we aided the Democratic Republic of Congo in developing the IUCN Bonobo Action Plan, which includes site-based strategies and actions to combat threats, and advice on monitoring populations and disease. WCS also has a strong project in the Salonga National Park, where the largest portion of the remaining bonobo population is located.