Bonobo Family Portrait

Lorel, the bonobo in the middle, is the mother of daughters Lucy, seated and Lexi, on the right, at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. In the wild, when females mature, they will migrate out of their natal group and integrate themselves into another bonobo group. Captive bonobos are managed to mimic what happens in nature (sons stay with mothers; daughters emigrate out of the group) and maximize genetic viability for future generations.

Photo by M. Brickner

Trapping African Grey Parrots, Part III

In the top photograph, a newly captured African grey parrot has its primary feathers cut to prevent flight. In shock, birds refuse to eat for days.

Young African grey parrots have black to dark grey eyes, which lighten as they age. The bird in the middle photograph has yellow eyes, the sign of an adult. The villager holds out its wings, saying that this is a parrot ready for the trip to Kinshasa, the capital.

In the bottom photo is a dead parrot, approximately one month after capture. Mortality is mainly due to overcrowding in too small cages, exposure, and malnutrition. Some birds were destined for the local pet market, but the majority were exported to Europe and Asia.

Trapping African Grey Parrots, Part II

It is early morning on a burned over savanna, where new seedlings normally entice parrots to land and feed. The top photograph shows the villager on the right setting out African grey parrot decoys, while the man on the left plants "glue" sticks in a grid, every foot or so apart. A live bird is also tied out because its cries will attract overhead parrots. The men retreat to hiding places and wait.


In the middle photo, a wild parrot that landed has accidentally brushed some feathers against the sticky palm frond ribs. Further entangled and unable to fly in the bottom photograph, it struggles futilely.

This is what the men are waiting for. As soon as one or more birds are incapacitated, they quickly they leap from their hiding places to capture them. If no birds land by 09:00, the men pick up their props and go home to try again another day.

To be continued....

Trapping African Grey Parrots, Part I

I trained an informant to take photographs and had him document how villagers managed to catch adult African grey parrots. This series is from the remote interior near Inongo.

The hunt for parrots to capture for the pet trade occurs in the savannas. The grasses are burned off every season, which causes a regrowth of the plants. The hunts are timed around this, due to the fact that the parrots are attracted to the new, green shoots.

The first image shows a man with "glue sticks" that are fashioned from the central rib of palm fronds and coated with a glue made from plant ingredients.

The next photograph shows two parrot decoys that are critical for a successful hunt. The decoys are carved of lightweight wood and painted with powdered limestone and ashes to give the grey coloration. The tail is a strip of red cloth.

Finally, the villagers need a live bird, who will give the proper sound and movement to the scene to be set. Here a parrot is restrained with feet on the wings, and knife handle across the neck to tie it up, to be staked out.

It is pre-dawn and the props are ready. To be continued...

Upside Down Bonobo

This is one of my favorite bonobo pictures. Lucy, a young bonobo at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is walking upside down along a swinging rope, while carrying a piece of cane in her mouth. Scientists have shown that monkeys can recognize faces as well (or better) upside down as right side up. One could extrapolate that other arboreal animals, such as bonobos, might have the same ability. in contrast, humans (who don't spend much time hanging from ropes or branches) have a hard time recognizing upside down faces.

One interesting note about this photo -- note the white tuft of hairs on Lucy's rump. Bonobos have the white hair as babies but this persists into adulthood with many individuals. This juvenile mark is also seen in chimpanzees, but it almost always disappears as the animals age.

Photo by M. Brickner

Lucy Bonobo Hanging from Rope

Lucy, a bonobo at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens appears to be showing a sense of fun and trepidation as she swings from a large rope. She is only two years old in this photo, so she has just started being independent from her mother for short, exploratory jaunts.

Photo by M. Brickner

The "Pet" Market in Kinshasa

The top left Polaroid, taken in my office, is of a pet market seller who was forever suspicious of me. He would bring animals by for free treatment, but he would rarely divulge information. The other three photographs were taken by an informant at the exotic animal market, located across from the main train station in downtown Kinshasa.

The upper right Polaroid showed a market seller with a parrot trapper who had arrived from the interior town of Boende. On the lower right, market sellers are handling a chimp that showed signs of severe malnutrition (puffiness around the eyes). The last photograph was of a man who had showed up with a baby red forest pig.

Wild Apes for Sale

From Grains of Golden Sand:

"Almost as a lark to see if I could, I decided to befriend the marketers to try to unravel the inner workings of the parrot and primate trade. I offered them my veterinary expertise. Deeply suspicious, they wanted to know my purpose and motive for providing care. I explained that treating their animals gave me experience for taking care of those at the institute. From 1987 through 1990, I gradually gained their trust. Eventually, the comerçants tolerated my presence, and four became helpers and informants."

From 1990, until I left the country in 1998, I was able to take photographs (or my informants took them for me) of the main animal market in downtown Kinshasa. I nearly always used a Polaroid camera. This was done so I could give the people photographs of themselves.

The upper left photo shows a baby chimp (#4072) that was treated and its seller was interviewed. The upper right photo shows a buyer purchasing the bottom two animals -- a chimp on the left and a bonobo on the right. I never saw those animals, but they appeared to be thin, and too small to survive.

At the time these photographs were taken, the possession or sell of a "protected" species was not illegal, as long as the sellers possessed an ownership paper, which was merely a tax formality. In 1990, Jane Goodall put pressure on the government to confiscate apes found on the open market, but this was overturned with the civil unrest in 1991.

While monitoring the animal market, I supplied information to Traffic international, for those animals that I suspected were leaving the country, as this was regulated by international CITES treaty. I found out years later that a tip on I gave led to the confiscation of two chimps by officials in Nairobi.

Bonobo Pumpkins in the Moat

Kaleb, a young bonobo, has succeeded in pushing a pumpkin off of the shade platform at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. The pumpkins rolled down the slope and landed in the water of a shallow moat. Floating, they can be bobbed out for eating or for further play.

Photo by M. Brickner

Bonobo Kaleb Drops Pumpkin

Over it goes! Kaleb the young bonobo has rolled a pumpkin across the platform at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and managed to push it over the edge. Enrichment items often get carried "upstairs" and thrown overboard....

To be continued....

Photo by M. Bricker

Bonobo Kaleb with a Pumpkin

Kaleb, the young bonobo seems to have a plan for the pumpkin given as a Halloween enrichment (although an adult in the background seems more interested in eating one). Turning the pumpkin over and over on end, Kaleb pushes it to the edge of the platform at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens exhibit....

To be continued....

Photo: M. Brickner

Bonobos Get a Halloween Treat

What is this? The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has just celebrated its Halloween "Spooktacular" festival and the leftover pumpkins are distributed to many animals, including the bonobos, as enrichment. Kaleb, a young male investigates....

To be continued....

Photo by M. Brickner

Bonobo on a Magic Carpet

Lexi, a young bonobo at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens appears to fly through the air on a magic carpet. The "carpet" is a burlap sack, given to the bonobo group for play enrichment.

Photo by M. Brickner

Bonobo Kaleb and Pine Cone

Kaleb is a young bonobo at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. After an exhausting day of play, he sleeps with his favorite toy of the day: a pine cone. The zookeepers provide natural materials, such as twigs, leaves, cane, seeds, and hay on exhibit daily to provide stimulus and enrichment for the bonobos.

Photo by M. Brickner

Bonobo Lucy with Mother

Lucy, a young bonobo, sits on Lorel, her mother at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. Lorel is the dominant female of the group. Even though resting, Lorel keeps a supportive hand on Lucy, which suggests that she is protective of her daughter.

Photo by M. Brickner

1993 Kinshasa Uprising

In 1993, Kinshasha erupted again in violence and looting. Luc, a Belgian daredevil friend, convinced me to dress like a nurse (as a sort of psychological ploy to disarm bad intentions) and go with him to look for a mutual friend. Unfortunately, his truck broke down and burst into fire. And that is when the trouble started. From Grains of Golden Sand:

"Busy fighting our fire, we didn't notice the two cars slide into the parking lot and brake to a shuddering stop. I heard the noise and looked up from frantically searching under the vehicle for more flames and smoke. My heart nearly stopped. A pair of yellow taxis—probably commandeered—were bursting with uniformed military. They stared for a brief second then, menacingly, they clambered out like Genghis Khan’s warriors dismounting dun-colored ponies. Efficiently, they surrounded our wounded truck.
Luc straightened up from the hood, water pail in hand. I saw his fist tense up on the bucket as he faced the troops.
“What the hell are you doing here?” barked the jut-jawed leader. He was a clean-cut officer, younger than half his henchmen. His squad glared at us belligerently with drawn AK47s. They bristled with barely restrained violence.
Luc started forward and the men lifted their weapons higher. Luc stopped, mouth working soundlessly.
“Did you hear me?” This time a bellow: “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Hey man, can't you see? Vehicle broken down!” Luc hollered back. He stabbed a finger at the cab. “Look at those fuses!”"

Bonobo Vitamins

Keepers at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens set up "jelly sandwiches" with vitamins embedded inside for the bonobos. The sandwiches are given individually to ensure that each animal gets its daily vitamins.

Photo by M. Brickner

Peek-a-Boo Bonobo

Lexi, a nine year old bonobo at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, plays peek-a-boo with a blue shirt that was given to her by the keepers. Captive bonobos will blindfold themselves by covering their eyes with cloth, or use a hand, while contorting parts of their faces. I have seen youngsters play by putting an article of clothing around their heads, then turn in rapid circles until they were too dizzy to stand.

This photo highlights the reddish lips that are characteristic for the species. Their lips are a pink to red color that stand out against their dark faces.

Photo by M. Brickner

Mother and Daughter Bonobos

Lorel and Lucy, two bonobos at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens share a restful moment. Lucy is self-grooming her arm in the comfort of her mother's belly. Bonobo babies are not weaned until five years of age.

Photo by M. Brickner

Marian Brickner, Bonobo Photographer

Marian Brickner, a native of New York, now living in St. Louis, has worked as a professional photographer since 1983. In addition to having pictures published in such venues as the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the Missouri Conservation Magazine, and the Annals of Internal Medicine, Brickner traveled to Nairobi to photograph neurosurgeons doing volunteer brain surgery in the Kenyatta National Hospital.

In 1998, the first book written for the layman about the last ape species known to science was published. It was "Bonobo, the Forgotten Ape", by Frans de Waal, with photographs by Frans Lanting. Marian Brickner was alerted about this must-read book at the Discovery store by her son. She was fascinated by the cover and purchased a copy.

Surprised that she had never heard about bonobos, Brickner realized that the sexy nature of the species was what had kept it out of the popular press in America. She became obsessed with getting the story out about one animal called Linda, and Linda's offspring. She decided that children would be fascinated to learn that apes have families and relatives, so she researched Linda's family tree.

At her own expense, Ms. Brickner, contacted, cajoled, and convinced bonobo holding zoos to let her visit and photograph Linda and her relatives. Eventually, she decided to focus on documenting the growth of one of Linda's granddaughters named Lucy.

At the Milwaukee County Zoo, Brickner first mentioned the idea of a children's book on bonobos. The keepers did not seem too impressed, so she went to several other zoos and photographed the animals there. When she returned to Milwaukee, she showed pictures of one of Linda's sons, a bonobo called Kevin, from the Fort Worth Zoo. When the zookeepers saw Kevin, they exclaimed, "Oh, he looks so much like his MOM!" That was when her idea for a book began to make sense to the zoological world.

The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has supported Ms. Brickner for the past four years. She has gone there annually to take pictures of Lucy and the other bonobos in the group. Her book, "I'm Lucy: A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo", with text by Mathea Levine, is geared for first graders, but all ages love the pictures. While it is available on Amazon, she hopes people will buy it from the website where more money will be donated to the bonobos.

A quote from bonobo advocate, Marian Brickner:

"It isn't fair for us not to know about bonobos. They are too special. Because of this, I set my goal to do a children's book. I realized that I didn't know anything about them, but if I learned how to take a good photographs, I could get children to remember the bonobos. Then maybe they would DO something about the whole issue of bonobos and the environment."

Bonobos Playing Tug of War

Lucy and Kaleb are half-brother and sister bonobos at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. They are provided "enrichment" such as a shirt, to play with. Bonobos find infinite varieties of ways to amuse themselves, such as this game of tug of war, pictured above.

Photo by M. Brickner

Bonobo "Flossing" Teeth

Kaleb, a young male bonobo at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens appears to "floss" his teeth with twine. Bonobos are known to play games with their faces: twisting their mouths into weird expressions, wiggling their tongues, touching their gums, pulling down a lip, or reaching around their heads with a hand to pull at a mouth corner.

Once, a young bonobo I was caring for in Kinshasa managed to capture a fly. He carried it delicately around in pursued lips, almost as if he enjoyed the tickle of buzzing wings in his mouth. When I looked to see the source of the sound, he curled his lips in a smirk, still holding the fly, as if to say, "How handsome am I!"

Photo by M. Brickner

Bonobo in a Reflective Moment

Lucy, a young bonobo at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, pauses in a day of play to inspect her foot. The contemplative gesture makes me wonder about the inner mind of the species. It is widely accepted that bonobos, as all apes, are very intelligent. They are capable of understanding words, can converse in sign language or symbols, and can solve complex puzzles. Thought is an enigma however, since it is impossible to get inside the head of a bonobo to see what (or if) they think.

Place a dot on the forehead of a bonobo and have her look into a mirror. She will reach up to touch the dot on her head. This "MSR" or mirror self-recognition test leads scientists to say that bonobos have self-recognition. Most other apes, elephants, and dolphins also pass the MSR test. Critics of the test claim that it is an evolutionary advantage to distinguish "self" from "non-self" and this in itself is not a test for self-directed behavior. They say that the mirror is an artificial and misleading tool that is used to see parts of the body not normally viewed.

As a zookeeper, I have looked into the eyes of my bonobo charges, and felt a presence there -- a presence so human-like in expression that it was eerie. Now, back to the question: Do bonobos think? Do bonobos know that they are alive, with a yesterday, today, and tomorrow? Do they have beliefs? Do they have a soul? It seems an irony that it is easier to explore the vastness of outer space, than it is to know the mind of an ape.

Photo by M. Brickner

Bonobo Eating an Orange

While balancing on a rope bridge, Lucy, a young bonobo at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens enjoys an orange. Bonobos have similar nutritional requirements as human beings. All primates need vitamin C, otherwise they will develop a potentially fatal condition called scurvy. Captive bonobos are supplied a "monkey biscuit" which is fortified with vitamin C, but the unstable vitamin is only guaranteed for 90 days. Besides being tasty, fresh fruit ensures that the animals get the necessary C for optimal health.

Photo by: M. Brickner

Wildlife Rehabbers Review

Grains of Golden Sand Book Review:

"Here’s a must read for every wildlife rehabilitator! Within this book are accounts of events with which every animal person can empathize more than the average “Joe”. The true stories told in this book are insightful, funny, sad, daring, exciting, poignant, and even at times scary. Imagine wildlife rehabilitation- working long hours, worrying how you were going to get support so you can feed your patients and buy medicine, the paperwork and permitting, licensing, building cages- that’s not hard to do for most rehabbers. But what if in addition to those concerns you had to worry about whizzing bullets, dishonest politicians impeding your efforts, deadly human disease outbreaks that could kill you and looters that could break down your door at anytime and take everything away and eat your patients! Kind of makes rehab in America tame by comparison, and makes one more appreciative of their circumstances, doesn't it?

I highly recommend this book for its action packed well-written accounts and insight into animal behavior and wildlife issues that rehabbers can truly appreciate."

This review was written by Deb Anderson, DVM, the veterinarian at the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida. She is active in the Florida Wildlife Rehabilitators Association.

Bonobos on a Tub

Pictured on a tub on exhibit at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is Lily (front), Lucy to the right, and Lorel, behind. Lorel is the mother of both Lily and Lucy. In the group, Lily is the subordinate and she defers to the others, especially when it comes to food. She is even-tempered and likes to please the zookeepers. She is also a quick learner and will work as much for attention as for food during training sessions. It is natural that Lily is so people focused because, at her birth, Lorel had no maternal instinct, and Lily had to be raised by the keepers and then integrated back with the group.



Lily is nearly eleven years old. She began cycling in 2004 and was put on birth control. As an adolescent female, Lily is slated to be sent to another AZA (American Zoo and Aquarium Association) institution to join another bonobo group. This is what happens in the female-centered bonobo wild society. From Grains of Golden Sand, "To be accepted, a young immigrant female must ingratiate herself with her new group’s alpha female. Feminine bonding is important in bonobo society, partly because females are physically less powerful than males. In captivity, females will gang up—even against the most dominant males—and invariably win. Even one-on-one, the lasses may still dominate the lads."