A bonobo’s diet consists of mainly fruits, but despite this preference, they have a highly diverse diet. According to table 3 in The Apes: Challenges for the 21st Century, fruit takes up 55 percent of bonobos diet and 95 percent of their feces volume (Conklin-Brittain, 2001). Fruit is a staple in their diet, however, they also consume high-quality …show more content…
In the Congo Basin, secondary forests start to increase, which causes the primary forests to decrease. As a result, Bonobos are forced to deal with these consequences that directly affect their fruit availability during certain months when their diet is constrained (Serchx, 2015). Very adaptive animals, Bonobos have “flexibility in ranging and grouping patterns according to the spatio-temporal fluctuations of food patches” (Serchx, 2015, p. 948-962). When there are fruit shortages, Bonobos will switch over to terrestrial herbaceous vegetation (THV) and non-tree species to receive their nutrients (Serchx, 2015). Some of these fallback foods include trees, herbs, shrubs, and …show more content…
On a much larger scale, it would also be beneficial to increase the punishment for such illegal activities and to raise awareness. With the help of social media, it has become much easier for issues to be publicized. To inform people of the illegal activities that are being done to Bonobos, it will help to make the issue public and to get the community involved. The final objective will be to increase funding for Bonobo conservation. The funding will need to go directly towards park management and other conservation resources/ foundations. By increasing the number of resources that can control and monitor the Bonobo’s habitat, we will be able to crack down on the illegal activities that are secretly occurring.
I think that it important to continue studying Bonobos because they offer something to the human species that other animals do not. Bonobos are extremely social animals and as I have learned from my previous research, they avoid violence at all costs. Since we share a common ancestor to Bonobos, it is fair to say that we have the potential to be just as peaceful and can take notes from these lovable