Searching for Bonobo in Congo

Only in Kisangani :
“Here, at our Kisangani Parrot Center, no disease vectors are wandering around, no chickens, no goats, like we have at the Dingi Center.  So why are parrots dying in Kisangani while Dingi Center has no disease problem? ”

Goat gleaning fallen peanuts and corn.

In Kisangani, the Parrot Conservation Center (PCC) is a lovely, quiet, sylvan retreat. Below: the sign at its entrance.

Steven Janssen, the World Parrot Trust veterinarian agreed:  the placement of the PCC-Tshopo (Parrot Conservation Center in Tshopo Province) is idyllic: an isolated wooded area, large airy flight cages – so why is a pathogen lurking in the shadows?

Steven also saw the PCC- Maniema receiving its own benediction; goats, chickens and parrots, all included.

History of the Disease :
The epidemic started in October 2025; we thought we were on top of it by the end of December thanks to help from a local vet and a veterinary laboratory in Kinshasa, but, alas, in January there were 8 more deaths.

The first sick bird was discovered during the night by the night watchman, puffed up and on the floor of the flight cage. It died soon afterward.

We sent whole parrot carcasses, frozen in a private freezer, to Kinshasa in cool boxes.  Our assistant, Henri Silegowa, was at the foot of the plane and took them on to Kinshasa”s Veterinary Laboratory.  But no diagnosis was made and the suggested treatments did not stop the slow spread of the disease.  Only 4 died in February, but in March 10 died!

Henri picks up the frozen African Grey Parrot carcasses in Kinshasa, at the foot of the plane.

Ramping up our effort:
We needed help.  World Parrot Trust agreed to send over their bird-veterinarian, Steven Janssen, for a second visit.  The important first step, he said, was to examine the birds and their care conditions; then to get samples.  There are Congolese labs where bacteriological analyses could be made, but the wider spectrum of diseases, including viral diseases required labs with their specialized reagents in Belgium.

With Steven’s advice we added cut branches to the cages for the parrots to tear apart (which they do) and we also added more metal feeding basins, easy to clean thoroughly.

Congo Conditions Complicate :
The idea was to move quickly to Kisangani as soon as Steven landed in Congo, but Congo conditions intervened: cancelled planes.  Not one, but several planes were cancelled, resulting in a much shorter time in Kisangani.  Only two full days.

Evaluating all the birds and taking samples at PCC-Tshopo in Kisangani. Ben, left, and Stanie, right, under Steven’s tutelage.

Taking samples was relatively straight forward with minimum disturbance to the birds.  To a non-medical person (myself), they consisted of mini-drops of blood on a tiny slip of absorbent paper, and swabs taken in the beak and cloaca. All were easily part of the standard physical check we periodically give that includes the state of feather regrowth in the tails and wings to assess who is ready to fly.

Chimène, one of the caretakers at PCC-Tshopo, looking at a blood slide from a sick parrot.

The Tshopo team worked into the night.

Good Teams on the Ground :
Steven visited the CCP at Dingi as well as the CCP in Kisangani.   Two days air travel and one day on motor bike…to get to Dingi from Kisangani.

Steven took samples from 40 of the 236 parrots at Dingi. The caretakers Ibrahim and Fidel watch as their colleague Marie draws blood.

The teams in Kisangani and Kindu were delighted with Steven’s observations and recommendations and Steven found them to be excellent students.

The caretakers were attentive to Steven’s words and actions.

Steven divided the samples, some to analyze in Kinshasa, Congo, and some to take to Belgium.  The Kinshasa samples would be followed by his assistant, a veterinarian and student, Fabien.

Group picture at the end of work in Tshopo. Along with Steven, John, me and our three caretakers, on the far right is Fabien , assistant to Steven, and Elise, a local Veterinarian on the far left.

The samples to take to Belgium required CITES permits, because the African Grey Parrot is protected on annex 1 of the Convention for international trade in Endangered Species (CITES). 

International regulations complicate — Good Grief :
Since January 2016, CITES placed a moratorium on African Grey Parrots out of Congo.  This was part of the effort to stop the alarmingly large, continuous flow of wild parrots from Congo overseas. 

Before parrot shipping became illegal in DRCongo (less than a year ago), parrot crates, like the one above were often loaded into Cargo planes. Hundreds of parrots were shipped monthly out Kisangani to Kinshasa and from there, internationally.

What we did not realize is that this trade suspension covers not only parrots but even drops of blood or oral swabs taken from them.  The CITES authority for Congo was –perhaps– as unaware as we were or– perhaps not — but he double checked with Geneva (legal unit, CITES secretariat) and they said that any scientific samples (tissue, blood, swabs…) were “forbidden” international cargo.  That restriction could not be reviewed by the scientific committee until the November meeting.  The only reason for such a thoroughly comprehensive ban would be that somehow CITES thought traders could use scientific samples as a cover for live grey parrots. Possible? 

Our samples stayed in a freezer in Kinshasa. Hopefully the freezer will be kept cold even when electricity fails, as is far too frequent in Kinshasa.

Where we are now :
Almost a week later, there is no resolution.
Another African Grey in Kisangani was sick a couple mornings after Steven left and died the same night.

On Monday morning, April 27th, the bird was isolated and cared for, but died that night.

Based on this parrot’s symptoms and the symptoms the caretakers described for past sick parrots before their death, Steven says a likely candidate pathogen is Chlamydia psittaci.  That is frightening.  C. psittaci can jump to humans and cause Psittacosis.  It was responsible for 5 deaths in Europe in 2023.

We were thankful that the Tshopo caretakers had started wearing masks and gloves well before the arrival of Steven.

Steven prescribed a treatment for the Chlamydia disease. We are relieved to have a POSSIBLE diagnosis and a treatment effective for that disease.  We remain optimistic.

Our hope is that Steven will return before the end of the year to see how the parrots are doing and how we are doing as their caretakers.  Afterall, Steven made a good friend in Dingi who is waiting for him to come back.

In Dingi, an Nganga, or parraot unafraid of people, took a special (and quite intense) hankering after Steven.

One of the project’s three Parrot Conservation Centers (CCP) is in Lodja, but getting there is not easy.  Passenger flights into Lodja’s small airport have always been sparse and erratic. Recently they have become even more fickle.

There are only occasional and unpredictable flights into Lodja’s small airport – this one in July 2024.

Diego and Kennedy, who run Sankuru’s CCP were sending urgent WhatsApp messages to Moise and me (John Hart). At least 30 of the parrots in Lodja’s rehabilitation flight cage were ready to fly and increasingly impatient with confinement.

Sankuru’s Parrot Conservation Center, with its flight cage, is located on the outskirts of the town of Lodja at the headquarters of the local conservation NGO, APPACOL. 

This would be the first release for the Sankuru CCP. Diego and Kennedy wanted Lukuru project representation on hand. It wasn’t just about opening the flight cage. There would have to be a ceremony with authorities and dignitaries present. This was for us to organize.  It would have been different if Heritier Mpo, the founder and leader of APPACOL, were still alive.  But he died suddenly in November 2024, at the age of 39. Heritier was the inspiration for expanding the P3CK to Sankuru Province. His memory was on our mind as we planned the trip.

Heritier, the founder, in front of APPACOL’s office.

Heritier showing parrot trafficking routes through Sankuru.

Moise and I prepared for an overland trip, the surest way to reach Lodja from Kindu.

The route is direct and straightforward on the map. But in reality, the road has not been maintained in decades and is now reduced to a narrow track on long stretches.  Many bridges are missing or damaged. Several major river crossings are by dugout only. The trip is impossible for any 4-wheel vehicle. Moise and I had to plan for a three-day trip by motorbike (moto). But in early November, as we prepared, the rainy season was gathering momentum. Urgent departure was imperative.

Nicola, our project driver, competent on forest tracks, would lead our convoy. The second driver, who went by the name, Rochet (as in rachet wrench) would also cover on the inevitable repairs that would be required. As we rolled through our Kindu gate on the morning of November 9^th, each moto carried driver, passenger, baggage and a kit of wrenches, replacement parts and sparkplugs wrapped in an oil-stained cloth.

Leaving our Basoko compound.

Twenty-seven kilometers, and an hour into the trip we reached the first barrier, the Kasuku River.  A small hand operated cable ferry facilitates crossings, but on Sundays it is not operating. We filled one of the dugouts that normally ferries people, farm produce, charcoal, and sawn lumber harvested from the rapidly disappearing forest.

Crossing the Kasuku River. The first pillars of a bridge started in the late 1950s and abruptly abandoned at Independence, slowly erode.

West of the Kasuku the motos continued through settled forest, but by 60 km out we were crossing the mosaic of grasslands and gallery forests of the buffer zone of the Lomami National Park.

Bird watching on the prairies south of the Lomami National Park.

Wading the flooded prairies beyond the Kasuku.

At 80 km from Kindu, the track crossed the swampy headwaters of numerous streams dividing the Lomami and Congo basins. Crossing the flooded track required the coordinated strength and balance of two people to guide the motos over the submerged logs that serve as bridges over the deeper flows.

Balancing bike across submerged logs over the main stream flow.

On the second day we crossed the Lomami, and entered Sankuru Province. Motos, drivers, Moise and I, with all our gear, were packed into a single dugout and expertly paddled across 200 meters of deep fast current.

Resting in Bolaiti on the west side of the Lomami River.

As we moved into Sankuru province, flooded prairies gave way to secondary forest on red clays. Through the lush understory, we caught occasional glimpses of cleared gardens with impressive stands of rice and maize that flourished on the rich clay soils. But these same clays slowed our progress on the motos.  

Moise disembarked and took this video from behind as the moto lurches over the wet clay track ahead of him.

Fellow travelers faced the same challenges.

As we approached the town of Katako-Kombe we climbed out of the forest into a beautiful landscape of rolling green hills accented by dark green forest galleries in the valleys.

The Katako Kombe region, near the geographic center of DR Congo has remarkable hydology (see violet square on map above). Three major rivers draining the Congo basin, the Tshuapa, the Lukenie-Kasai and the Unia-Lomami, all have their sources within a few kilometers of each other in an area of un-presupposing rolling hills covered with a mosaic of forest and grasslands east of the town.  Detail of the violet square is shown in the map below.

The Unia River, a tributary of the Lomami, forms a remarkable nearly circular drainage described and named in 2011 paper as the Omeonga Ring Structure.  The yellow arrow shows where I took the photo below looking southeast across the Unia basin, nestled in the hills as we approached Katako Kombe.

Photo southeast towards Omeonga Ring Structure.

The Unia drainage is thought to define the outer rim of a hypothesized meteorite impact event dating to late Cretaceous and spanning about 36 – 46 km across. If confirmed, Omeonga would be among the 25 largest impact features known on earth. Its higher center, rather than a crater depression, presumably resulted from differential erosion associated with the impact. The proof of the impact origin will require the discovery of rock outcrops, showing telltale impact features.

If these outcrops occur, we found no evidence of them in the settlements we passed through on the track a few kilometers north of the Omeonga rim.  Villagers in this area resort to termitaria from the savannas, instead of rocks, to build the foundations for their houses and abutments for bridges.

Abutment of bridges, like this one, are stabilized with many termitaria where rocks are unavailable.

This is the type of small rock-hard termitaria used.

Boys, bird hunting with sling shots can’t even find enough pebbles for ammunition, and fire bits of lead scavenged from discarded batteries.

So, the mystery of the origin of the Omeonga Ring persists.

Young, expert sling shot marksman.

On the third and final day our drivers struggled to keep momentum through long, deep stretches of sand.

Maneuvering through sand beyond Katako Kombe.

Stands of dense bracken fern and thicket is all that now grows on what was once productive wooded savanna; unsustainable cycles of clearing and burning, impoverished the land until it could no longer maintain shifting cultivation.

Dense thicket and fern regrowth.

Even desolate when opened by fire.

The motorbikes crossed the Lukenie, now a major stream, on one of the few bridges, this one partially collapsed but still considered useable. We then pushed on, reaching Lodja in late afternoon.

The bridge over the Lukenie is one of the few bridges along the road.

Lodja is the commercial center of Sankuru Province, but even the commercial traffic is by motorbike as all incoming roads are unmaintained. The town has numerous motorbike parking areas.

One of several motor bike parking areas in Lodja.

Diego and Kennedy prepared a meal for us the night of our arrival outside our hotel.

The Wembanyama business center in Lodja.

This is Wembanyama territory.  The family of the father of Victor Wembanyama, star basketeer for the San Antonio Spurs, hails from the Lodja area.  This building with its side of glass window is one of the most imposing in Lodja. But I could not find anyone who knew anything about Sankuru’s illustrious son.

Greeting Diego and Kennedy at the Appacol CCP.

Diego and Kennedy, at the CCP, were infinitely pleased, and relieved to see Moise and me arrive.  Although they get monthly cash transfers by the local pay-phone service, and we give regular advice by WhatsApp, they have not had an in-person, hands-on visit since Moise passed through during his Lusambo trip in early May.

Reminder of the major significance of the parrot release to Heritier’s memory.

The parrot release was set for our third day in Lodja.  For APPACOL, this release was a memorial and closure following the untimely death of their departed founder, Heritier. 

 Moise visiting the territorial administrator to organize the witnesses for the release.

Heritier’s family gathered for the occasion, including his mother, Emma, his brother, André, and his widow with his two young children.  

Heritier’s mother and his widow with Heritier’s two young children came early. 

It was an emotional event.

Thirty-eight parrots flew from the flight cage, witnessed by assembled authorities from the territorial administrator and provincial environment officers as well as neighboring households.  We returned one parrot to the flight cage the following day after neighbors came to tell us that it appeared at their compound and was reluctant to leave.

The first parrots took off…in all 38 flew.

Everyone was elated by the event, particularly Heritier’s family.  His mother, Emma, said, more than anything else, this showed to her the enduring value of her son’s convictions and dedication to nature conservation.

Heritier’s mother, his widow and children as well as gathered administrative witnesses after the release.

She told Moise and me that the release would open a new chapter for APPACOL, and allow her, personally, to move beyond the tragedy of her son’s death.

 Heitier’s mother and younger brother, Andre, came in the evening to visit us.

On our fifth morning in Lodja, Moise and I shook hands and hugged friends and colleagues, new and old.  We turned the motos east for the 3 day return trip of wading, pushing, running behind and even riding back to Kindu.

Back over clay soils on the return trip to Kindu.

This story was put together by John and Terese; most photos by Moise and John with contributions from other project staff.