Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Albert responded carefully, reminding them that even ten years before, a hunter could walk into
the forest and not too far in, he would begin to see all sorts of wildlife—monkeys and boar and
antelope.
“But now,” he said, “a man has to walk at least a day before he can find animals to hunt, and
often two or three days, into the deepest forest, far away. Once those animals are gone, and once
more of the forest has been turned into fields, what will happen?”
The clear truth of the argument spoke to the elders. Everyone knew how much had changed,
especially since the wars. Albert explained that with conservation, the forests would renew them-
selves, the animals would return, and there would be funds just for making this happen. They would
not be giving anything away, or selling everything they had. The villagers agreed to give Albert a
chance to prove that he had good intentions, that the foreigners he was working with would support
them and didn't have other motives.
At this early stage, the greatest danger was that of jealousy and power imbalances. Even the
slightest action could be used to polarize people. Local chiefs or politicians might fear that Albert
was gaining power and claim he was stealing the people's forests or conspiring with foreigners to
do so. In order to prevent such views from taking root, he needed to win the villages over one by
one.
He began with those where he had family, convincing them to supply volunteers. Then he
picked trackers and eco-guards, no more than a single paid person from each village, so that each
one's monthly income of twenty-five dollars would change that village's status. In Congolese fam-
ilies, as in many African families, relatives expect wealth to be shared, and men with some power
are quickly seen as “big men,” entitled to respect. In essence, Albert had to create a power struc-
ture in which the benefits would descend from Vie Sauvage and people would have an interest in
defending the organization against other politicians and leaders—a need that would arise before too
long.
With little funding, Albert did broad inventories of the forests and began habituating two
bonobo groups to humans. The aftermath of the war made this difficult. Soldiers had hunted
bonobos, and the great apes wouldn't be quick to forget how dangerous people could be. Most
of them had seen members of their families killed. When the first trackers began habituation, the
bonobos hurled branches and showered them with fecal matter. The largest male bonobos displayed
by lifting their arms and hooting, but more often than not, the bonobos simply fled or hid within
the dense forest. The trackers followed them every day, recording the GPS coordinates where the
bonobos built their nests before sunset. The next dawn, trackers would go to that spot and resume
following them. Many thought it could take at least six years for the bonobos to become comfort-
able with human observers, but with BCI's support in funding, Albert's community leadership, and
the constant work of the trackers, they achieved partial habituation within two years. National Geo-
graphic Society-funded photographer Jeffry Oonk visited in 2004, and got close enough to take
what Sally considered some of the best bonobo photographs ever.
Each time BCI struggled with funding, Albert was immediately in a vulnerable position.
Whenever he came into contact with local chiefs, they asked for money—five dollars here or
there—and some immediately got drunk on
lotoko
and made further demands: more schools and
clinics; the corrugated iron roofs that were a sign of status. Worse, some people began to see Albert
as the wealthiest of the new big men. His clothes were better than theirs, after all, and he rode a
motorcycle, something virtually absent after the war.
