Estimates of the number of bonobos left in the wild are somewhere between 5,000 and 50,000 – all of them in the DRC. In your opinion, what are the biggest obstacles to saving them?

The biggest obstacle is lack of awareness [and] the biggest threat is illegal hunting. People hunt the [bonobo] adults for meat, and sell the babies as pets. Few Congolese people realize how unique and endangered bonobos are. Bonobos have tremendous potential for not only science, but for a sustainable, green economy [and] eco-tourism. Lola saves bonobos, but it also creates a lot of job opportunities for Congolese people, especially women. Internationally, very few people know what a bonobo is. They don't know we have another closest relative [or about their] conservation.

The second biggest obstacle, I think, would be the demands of development. The DRC needs to develop, and people there deserve a better life. However, how to develop is [the] question. The DRC has invaluable biodiversity and natural forests. Shall we destroy them all as we have done [elsewhere]? In Africa, tons of infrastructure projects are run by Chinese. There is even a Chinese factory right next to Lola. As Chinese, we are pouring into Africa to invest and make money, but we should be respectful to and responsible for the nature and environment of these Congolese people.

As the only Chinese person working among many Western zoologists in the DRC, how do you see your role there?

As the only Chinese, I take special responsibility introducing bonobos to the Chinese people. What I hope is not only that more and more people get to know this beautiful animal, but also that more and more Chinese investing in the DRC (and Africa generally) can take a sustainable approach with respect to nature [in the] Congo.

Learn more about Lola ya Bonobo at http://www.friendsofbonobos.org(English website)

http://www.lolayabonobo.org(French website)

Learn more about Tan's African trip at http://bananachopper.blogbus.com/