- Claudine Andre
Claudine Andre is the founder of
Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Claudine began the sanctuary in 1993 when a baby bonobo called Mikeno arrived at the Kinshasa zoo where Claudine was a volunteer.Nothing prepared Claudine for her role as a bonobo guardian. ‘My first school was the forest,’ she says. ‘I arrived in Congo with my father who was a veterinarian. He valued the chance for me to discover harmony with nature, the equilibrium between earth, humans, and animals.’
After Mikeno, others followed. And then more. In 2002, the only bonobo sanctuary in the world was founded just outside of Kinshasa. With a formidable team, Claudine’s reach extends beyond her sanctuary to the rest of Congo, tirelessly working to educate the Congolese of the preciousness of the endangered bonobo, and the danger and cruelty of eating bushmeat.
Claudine has been awarded the National Order of Merit by France and the Prince Laurent Prize of the Environment by Belgium. She frequently presents at conferences all over the world, raising awareness for bonobos and ensuring the protection of their future.
Claudine is also the author of [http://www.editions-calmann-levy.com/catalogue/livre/auteur-216786-roman-Une-tendresse-sauvage-Documents-Actualites-Societe.html Une Tendresse Sauvage'] ', a book in French about her life with the bonobos.
ee Also
[http://www.lolayabonobo.org Lola ya Bonobo]
[http://www.friendsofbonobos.org Friends of Bonobos]
[http://www.editions-calmann-levy.com/catalogue/livre/auteur-216786-roman-Une-tendresse-sauvage-Documents-Actualites-Societe.html Une Tendresse Sauvage]
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