The bonobo is the least known of all the great apes thanks to its remote
jungle home in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s a different kind of
chimp, shy and peace loving, and it gives us a remarkable insight into our own
gentler side. Unlike the more violent common chimpanzees, bonobos live in
peaceful societies ruled by females, where aggression is diffused by frequent
sex. In the last few years their forest home has been overtaken by war, and
scientists fear they are heading for extinction. This film follows Dr Frances
White as she makes her first emotional journey back to the Congo to see if the
bonobos she once studied have survived.
