The thing that most surprised me when first seeing bonobos in their natural habitat was the ease and fluidity with which they moved around the #rainforest canopy, some 40m above the ground. They are so graceful and have such good balance, they seem completely at home foraging in the treetops, balancing bipedally on branches and sometimes even travelling from tree to tree.

All apes climb trees well - especially fruiting trees - but the African apes - #gorillas, #chimpanzees and #bonobos - are mainly knuckle-walkers, moving quadrupedally along the forest floor and climbing only when there is a good reason to do so, for example to find food, build a nest, play or get a better view. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to spend a few days with a film crew in #Kokolopori, near Djolu, #DRCongo, where the Bonobo Conservation Initiative works with the local community to protect and study these fascinating apes. This video, my 90th to #BrightenYourDay during the #Covid19 #pandemic and connect people in #lockdown to #nature, gives a feel for what it is like to crick your neck watching bonobos high above you - and to taste the Tende fruits that infant Tresor was eating.
Bonobos are #GardenersoftheForest, dispersing seeds that germinate into the trees of tomorrow.
For more info, see http://www.bonobo.org/