Bonobo (Pan paniscus).
Image: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
At a glance
- IUCN category
- EN · Endangered
- Animal group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- FaunaHub record reviewed
- Checked against IUCN
- Matches source — IUCN's 2016 global assessment of Pan paniscus says EndangeredChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment
Conservation overview
The bonobo is, with the chimpanzee, one of humanity's two closest living relatives. It lives only south of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is assessed as Endangered.
Bonobos are known for cooperative, female-centred societies.
Range & habitat
Lowland rainforest south of the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Poaching for bushmeat
- Habitat loss and fragmentation
- Civil instability across its range
Why it matters
As a great ape found in just one country, the bonobo is a flagship for Congo Basin conservation and key to understanding our own evolution.
Gallery
A bonobo — Endangered, found only south of the Congo River.
Image: Christina Bergey, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Sources for Bonobo
- IUCN Red List — look up Bonobo (authoritative status)
- Animal Diversity Web