On a boat bound for Kinshasa, an advocate of APPACOL-PRN was amongst a crowd that were witness to a raid by the port authorities during a stopover in Lowedi. Along with the police and the intelligence service of the DRC (ANR), they had just intercepted a person transporting bushmeat and a live baby bonobo.
Mr. X (wishing to remain anonymous) immediately called Héritier Mpo of APPACOL-PRN to inform him of the situation, and Héritier immediately went into action and contacted the Provincial Ministry of the Environment as well as the ANR of Sankuru, so that the team in Lowedi could arrest the person holding the bonobo and confiscate their goods.
Thanks to the collaboration between APPACOL-PRN and J.A.C.K., the baby bonobo was taken to Bena Dibele and then to Lodja, where APPACOL has its office and rescue facility. The baby bonobo then joined the 15 other confiscated primates recently entrusted to APPACOL-PRN by the Sankuru authorities to urgently be transferred by chartered plane to J.A.C.K.
The baby bonobo is barely a year old. He was destined for sale into the exotic pet trade, and after during his arrest, we learned that the orphan had been hidden under some bushmeat, which tragically turned out to be his bonobo mother, cut into pieces…
When the baby arrived at J.A.C.K., we named him « LOWE », both after the region where he was found (Lowedi) and for the word LOVE, with a double « V », because these creatures, like so many others, deserve double our love after losing everything.
We will soon give you more updates on LOWE. In the meantime, send all your positive vibes to him and to the 13 other primates of the « LODJA 6 » rescue operation who have recently arrived at J.A.C.K.
Thank you for THEM