Short Wave - How Bonobos Help Explain The Evolution Of Nice

Episode Date: January 28, 2021

How did humans evolve some key cooperative behaviors like sharing? NPR Science Correspondent Jon Hamilton reports back from a bonobo sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where scientists are trying to answer that very question. Follow host Maddie Sofia and correspondent Jon Hamilton on Twitter, and email the show at [e-mail] pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

You're listening to Shortwave from NPR. Hey, everybody, Emily Kwong here. Today, we are talking about how humans evolved some key behaviors, like sharing, with our brain guy, NPR science correspondent John Hamilton. Hi, John. Hey, Emily. Hi. Okay, John, are you saying that evolution somehow made us nice? I'm saying evolution gave us a brain that is capable of being nice.

Of course, our brains are also capable of being, you know, not so nice. Important distinction, yes. So where did this kinder, gentler side come from? I actually went to a place where scientists are trying to answer that very question. This was before COVID, I should say, when travel was a bit easier. I went with my colleague Scott Hensley. The place we visited is an animal sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Oh, this is beautiful.

What are we listening to? That is a group of bonobos getting ready to have a meal. How would you describe bonobos within the world of primates? Well, they look like chimps, and genetically they are nearly identical, but bonobos don't act like chimps. For example, they don't kill each other, they welcome strangers, and they like to share food. Those are some shatty bonobos. What is all this shrieking about? Right, that was my question, too.

So I asked Susie Quatwenda. She's a biologist in charge of bonobo well-being at Lola Yabanobo. That's the name of the sanctuary. So this is a time is a way, a localization to see that food is coming. So they saw Patrick who is going to feed them. So it's just a signal to say, ready, food is coming. Is Susie saying the bonobos are sending out a dinner invite? Pretty much.

And within a couple of minutes, all these bonobos started coming out of the forest. and then they all sat down together and ate peacefully. These bonobos, what role models for all of us? Well, Susie would definitely agree with you. She told me that years of watching bonobos has made her realize something about her own species. People can also do the same, to stay on the same table, and sharing ideas, and try to listen each other,

and to be more patient, tolerant. Today on the show, how our ability to share, empathize and cooperate, shows up in bonobos too. These remarkable creatures John got to know very, very well. And why a species that embodies these traits is threatened by another species, us. You're listening to Shortwave from NPR. So, John, tell me more about this sanctuary you visited in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lola Yabinobo means bonobo paradise, and it is.

It's in the forest, about 10 miles outside of Kinshasa. Lots of birds. It's got a river running through it, which is convenient because bonobos can't swim. The adult bonobos do live in fenced enclosures, but they have enough space so they can pretty much disappear into the forest when they want to. And how many bonobos live here? There are about 60 at Lola, several dozen more at a second location where bonobos who were raised here are being released into the wild. And that's a big deal because there are only about 20,000 bonobos left in the world, and the DRC is the only place where they live outside captivity. And John, scientists are interested in bonobos because they are a close relative of ours, right? Yes, scientists consider chimps and bonobos are closest living relatives.

But bonobos haven't been studied as much as chimps because they are so rare and they kind of flew under the radar. They were really only recognized as a separate species in 1920. Got it. So what new things are scientists learning about bonobos? Well, one thing they're learning is just how different they are from chimps when it comes to behavior. With chimps, you know, aggression is pretty common and physical strength is key. So the animal in charge is invariably a dominant male. Bonobos aren't like that. Here's something Dr. Jonas Mukamba told us.

He's the lead veterinarian at the sanctuary. Bonobo, they're the females who dominion. What he's saying is that with bonobos, the females dominate, and that a female is always the head of the group. And we saw lots of examples of that. I mean, one day we were watching a caretaker toss pineapples to the bonobos in one group. It was very organized. Each bonobos seemed to be waiting their turn.

Adults were sharing their food with babies. So I asked Susie Quetwanda to explain the dynamic, and she started looking around for this one day. particular female. Sam Sam? Sam. Sam? Yeah, so she's coming. This is Semendoa. Big mom, tough mom. And as you can see, she's in the front. She has to show that she's very concerned by all organization in the group. So the big mama is in charge and all the males follow. The males are bigger than the females, but if a male gets too aggressive, all of the females will go after him and bite him. And they might even

chase him into the forest for a day or two. John, this is more than Bonobo Paradise. This is Paradise, Paradise. When I die, I want to come back as a bonobo. Yeah. It's very different. And the female's goal is to maintain harmony in the whole group. So like at feeding time, they make sure that everyone shares.

And Susie told me they have another tactic. And as you see, there is many, many, many action of sex, many negotiations. So that make peace. So the rumors are true. Bonobos really do have a lot of sex. A lot, a lot, especially at meals. Okay. And how do scientists go about studying bonobos?

How do they even know about these traits of theirs? Bonobos in the wild are almost impossible to study. So scientists have spent a lot of time at Lola. A few years ago, a researcher from Duke University named Brian Hare did an experiment there that really surprised a lot of people. Susie told me about it. So I want to show you, so this is normally the lab.

As you see, it's very large, and we have many rooms. The scientists would put two bonobos in adjacent rooms. Then they would give one of the bonobos some really special food. It must be the favorite food, like apples, they love, bananas. And most of times, we were like, We were normally trying to put Bonobos sauce. I remember it was the milk cream milk.

This all sounds so delicious. It does. But the question is, would you eat your special meal alone or would you share it with your neighbor? Oh, it depends on the day. Depends on the neighbor. Right? As humans, we could go either way.

And the scientists really weren't sure what a bonobo would do. In our mind, we thought that because of nice food, they would first eat. but we are surprised to see that a roommate is more important than food than favor food. The roommate was more important than the food. Interesting.

The bonobo with the plate would invite their neighbor in and they would eat together. Sometimes there was sex too. But then the scientist did the experiment again with three bonobos, including one who was a stranger. And most of the time the bonobo with the food would share it with the stranger first, then the friend.

Wow. So when humans are nice, are we tapping into our bonobos side? Maybe. We know that humans can be clever and aggressive, and those are behaviors you definitely see in chips. But we also can be remarkably tolerant and empathetic. And those are behaviors you are much more likely to see in bonobos. Ah, okay. Because going back to chimps for a second, I can see why cleverness and aggressiveness would be advantageous, passed on through natural selection, survival of the fittest. But sharing? What difference does that make to the survival of a species? Well, remember Brian Hare who did the sharing experiment?

Yeah. He and his partner, Vanessa Woods, wrote a book called Survival of the Friendliest. It makes the argument that what they call prosocial traits are what gave homo sapiens an advantage over other early humans. You know, the idea is that being the smartest or strongest only gets you so far. It's cooperation that has allowed us to farm and form governments and send people into space. And cooperation requires a brain that is able to empathize and trust and communicate shared goals. I mean, it kind of sounds like there's a lot to learn about how we're stronger together.

But, John, I'm also thinking about how being nice hasn't worked out so well for the bonobos themselves. I mean, this is an endangered species after all. Yeah, they've been the victims of human behavior that's not so. nice. Of course, humans have encroached on their habitat. Also, bonobos in the wild have been hunted for meat and poachers have killed adult bonobos so they could sell their babies as exotic pets. But Bonobo's friendly side has won them a lot of human friends. I am Clodin André, and I am the founder of Lolaia Bonobo, the paradise of Bonobo. Claudine grew up in the Congo. Her father was a veterinarian and she has spent more than 20 years trying to make sure that Bernouca's

Bonobos have a future. She's also what you might call the alpha female at Lola. I love men a lot. I'm a bonobo, you know. But, you know, in the sanctuary is more woman than me. I should mention that this sanctuary is partly an orphanage. Most of the bonobos were brought here when they were very young. Many of them actually saw their mother killed. And bonobos are like human children. They need many years of parenting. You know, they have tantrums. Poor baby bonobo. It sounds like a human.

So, each baby bonobo gets a human mother, someone who carries them around and plays with them and teaches them until they're ready to join the adults. It's kind of like visiting a bonobo daycare. I was interviewing one of the surrogate moms, Mama Yvonne, one day, when a baby named Asake decided she really wanted the microphone. Got to watch your gear, John. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

What's okay. It's okay. So this is to be that. Yeah. So he said that she was very... What stands out when you visit Lola is just how socially aware bonobos are. Claudine and Andre told me that that is what first got her attention. I crossed eyes of one bonobo one day in 91 in the zoological garden of Kinshasa.

And I think I fall in love with this species. Kladine told me that for her, it was all about the eyes. If you look to chimpanzees, every tree sicken, he turns his eyes. A bonnevo, he wants to know, who are you? What is the connection we can have? I mean, these creatures are so remarkably intelligent and clearly important. Can this one sanctuary in the DRC really save an entire species? Sadly, no.

I mean, fortunately, the government has made it illegal to kill or own a bonobo in the DRC. But the entire nation will have to embrace this idea that bonobos are a national treasure. So Lola has its own educator on staff, and they've brought thousands of schoolchildren to the sanctuary. But he told me they get calls from some of these kids years later, and they're calling to report a bonoble. No boat who needs rescuing. Wow, the folks at Lola are really thinking about how to pass on this work to the next generation. John, thank you for sharing this reporting and your stories from this trip. It has been such a journey.

Always fun to talk, Emily. This episode was produced by Brid Hanson, edited by Giselle Grayson and fact-checked by Rasha Auredi. I'm Emily Kwong. Thanks for listening to Shortwave from Enfure. What is your name? John. Hello, Mr. John. If you're never quite sure how to answer the question,

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