#not pets

Do you think he stood in front of them and told them that their teacher was a brave man who volunteered for the mission because he wanted to make sure they got to grow up.

Do you think he asked them to draw pictures that he could send with Grace, so that when he woke up and looked in his luggage the first thing that he would was all of their artwork.

Do you think Grace looked through all of the art from his students and started remembering their names and the silly things they did and all the times they made him laugh.

Do you think he got confused when he found a drawing signed by someone named Carl, because he doesn't remember having a student by that name.

Do you think he cried and cried and cried when he realized who the drawing was from.

Do you think he asked Rocky to make two little Xenonite figurines, smiling and holding hands, with the names Grace and Carl inscribed on them.

let's sit on top of green stuff with mama

Diyoko is one of the many orphaned bonobos rescued from the illegal pet trade by Lola ya Bonobo, the only bonobo sanctuary in the world, located in Kinshasa, DRC. Bonobos, with chimpanzees, are humanity's closest living relative, sharing 98% of their DNA with us. Baby bonobos need love and affection, and can die without it, even if all of their physical needs are met. Because of this, Lola ya Bonobo pairs every baby with a trained surrogate mama to raise them until they're old enough to live with the other bonobos and eventually be rewilded. Diyoko is pictured with his surrogate, Mama Niclette.

Diyoko is now four years old and has graduated from the nursery. He lives in Forest Enclosure 2 with his friends Lolabu, Omandja, Mpongo, and Tshimbulu.

Lola ya Bonobo is a really, REALLY great organization to donate to. They do so much good work rescuing and caring for bonobos, as well as educating communities about the illegal pet trade, helping protect bonobos' natural habitat, and coordinating with local communities to fix systemic issues that drive people to hunt great ape bushmeat. They always need donations to help keep them operating. Just recently, severe flooding damaged their facilities, and they are currently raising money to rebuild. Please, if you've got an extra $5 and want to help out, consider donating to Lola ya Bonobo.

as well as those cute pets some of you have sent to my inbox :]

maybe i'll dedicate a day to drawign inbox pets,,,