Mwindu was one of the six bonobos that went to Holland, on a breeding loan from the Congolese government, in 1998. The keeper gave him his name, "black" for his extremely dark face. Mwindu was a playful young male who had suffered from severe malnutrition. From Grains of Golden Sand:"I never completely trusted the moody Mwindu after he reached puberty, but we still played a “chase-me” game—a weaving, bouncing, feinting kind of dance, each on our own side of the cage. Mwindu adored attention and enjoyed being scratched. He would approach the bars and cling from them upside down for me to tickle his belly. Soon, I rewarded him with a tickle only when he placed his mouth in a “bite” over the bars and held completely still. I figured that, hanging upside down with his teeth affixed to a steel bar, he was incapable of hurting me. (His pose also gave me the chance to give him a quick exam, including checking the inside of his mouth.) Indeed, Mwindu never made an aggressive move while I was scratching him. Throughout the exercise, he would chortle with pleasure.
Photo: D. Messinger
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