Like Humans, Young Bonobos Comfort Those in Stress

One juvenile bonobo embraces another after it lost a fight. Credit: Zanna Clay, Òlola ya Bonoboó Just as young children may have trouble dealing with their emotions in tough situations, young bonobos must learn to regulate their emotions as well, researchers have found. Study co-authors Zanna Clay and Frans de Waal focused on juvenile bonobos that had been raised by their mothers and those that were orphaned---often as a result of the illegal bushmeat trade in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The research, published today in PNAS, was based at the Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary in Kinshasa. The parallels with human children are striking. The juvenile bonobos who have more stability and adult guidance at home end up better able to handle their own emotions and identify with the feelings of others when situations are rocky.