Disease outbreak kills endangered bonobos

Ewen Callaway, New Scientist 2 Apr 09

A deadly outbreak of what appears to be flu is threatening a group of bonobos in a sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Known also as pygmie chimpanzees, bonobos live exclusively in the DRC and are listed as endangered on the IUCN red list. Researchers put their total numbers somewhere between 29,500 and 50,000.

"Three days ago, there were 10 bonobos face-down in the building, breathing really hard," says Vanessa Woods, a bonobo researcher at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, who is currently at the sanctuary. "We've never seen anything like it before."

At least four animals have died from the illness out of a total of 60 living in Lola Ya Bonobo reserve. The 40-hectare forest sanctuary is just outside of the capital city of Kinshasa and houses bonobos orphaned by the bush meat trade.

A flu outbreak raced through the human population of Kinshasa in February, and Woods suspects sanctuary visitors spread the illness to the animals. "They get 30,000 Congolese visitors a year and most of them are school children," she says.

Scientists studying wild chimpanzees in Côte d'Ivoire's Taï National Park have documented disease outbreaks there, including a respiratory illness likely acquired from humans.

As a result, researchers at Taï now keep their distance from chimpanzees and wear face masks to contain the spread of pathogens.

The bonobo sanctuary's animals are isolated from wild populations, so there is no chance the disease will spread, Woods says.

She and her colleagues have quarantined some sick animals and are keeping a close eye on the rest. "The worst seems to have passed, but you just don't know."