Congo has announced the estab-lishment of a rain-forest preserve in-tended to shield the bonobo, one of human beings' two closest ape rela-tions, from wildlife poachers and de-forestation. The Sankuru Nature Re-serve - with an area of 30,600 square kilometers - is being created through a partnership involving American and Congolese conservation groups and government agencies.

剛果宣布建立一個雨林保育區，以保護侏儒黑猩猩這個和人類關係最親近的兩大哺乳動物之一，以免牠們受害於盜獵及濫伐林木。山庫魯自然保育區占地30,600平方公里，是在美國和剛果保育團體和政府機關合作下闢建。

Bonobos are closely related to chimpanzees and humans but do not appear to share the bellicose tenden-cies of their better-known kin. They are found only in the Congo basin south of the Congo River and are listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union. The bonobo population is believed to have de-clined sharply in the last 30 years after many years of rising pressure from poaching. Estimates range from 60,000 to fewer than 5,000 living, ac-cording to the World Wildlife Fund. Startup funding has been provided through a grant of $50,000 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and about $100,000 from private donors. Congolese conservationists have been working with residents of the region to curtail killing of the apes, whose flesh and bones, according to lore, strengthen children.

侏儒黑猩猩是黑猩猩和人類近親，但似乎不像黑猩猩那麼生性好鬥。牠們只出現於剛果河以南的剛果盆地，同時被世界保育聯盟列為瀕臨滅絕動物。侏儒黑猩猩經過多年盜獵據信過去30年來數目大跌，據世界野生物基金會估計，活口的數目從6萬到不到5千。美國漁獵管理局率先出資5萬美元，私人贊助者則捐了10萬美元。剛果保育人士已經和當地居民合作，遏阻殺戮猩猩，當地人傳說，猩猩的肉和骨頭可以使兒童頭好壯壯。

In this April 30, 2005 file photo, an infant bonobo looks on while substi-tute mothers Marthe Mianda, left, and Michelline Mzozi, right, spend time with baby bonobos at the Lola Ya Bonobo Sanctuary around fifty kilo-meters outside of Kinshasa, Congo.

這幀2005年4月30日的檔案照中，在剛果金夏沙市郊50公里羅拉耀小侏儒黑猩猩保護區中，一頭侏儒黑猩猩正瞪大眼睛注視前方，代理母職的瑪莎‧米蘭達（左）和蜜雪琳‧姆佐之（右）負責照顧牠們。