Endangered

Sophie arrives at her mother’s bonobo sanctuary, a former school campus that closed after being damaged in one of Congo’s wars. Years ago, Sophie’s mother convinced the government to give her the campus, and she converted it into a bonobo sanctuary. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Sophie and Clément search for Sophie’s mother, Florence. In the veterinarian’s office, a staff member named Patrice welcomes Sophie back and examines the young bonobo. He reports that the animal is in poor shape and has fluid around his heart. Patrice tries to put an IV in the ape to rehydrate him, but he cannot get the outdated equipment to work.

Sophie then bathes the bonobo, who looks into her eyes as she takes care of him. She then tries to feed the ape with a bottle. When Florence arrives, the bonobo immediately trusts her, as all animals do when they meet Sophie’s mother. Patrice takes a blood sample to see if the baby has any diseases, and Florence offers him the bottle again. Florence tells Sophie that taking the bonobo from the trafficker was wrong because people could target the sanctuary for taking someone’s property, as they have in the past. Florence then leaves to have dinner with Sophie’s aunt. Because it will not be safe for Florence, as a woman traveling alone, to return to the sanctuary after dark, she instructs Sophie to stay at the sanctuary overnight and tells her that the bonobo is now her responsibility. Sophie is not happy about her mother’s decision and begins to understand her mistake in buying the bonobo.

After Florence leaves for the night, Sophie barricades herself in her mother’s office. She video chats with her father as he prepares for work and shows him the baby bonobo. She asks him what to name the ape, and he tells her to name him Otto. Neither Sophie nor Otto is able to sleep that night, and Otto refuses to feed from a bottle. Later in the evening, Florence calls to see how Sophie is doing and tells her to keep trying to feed the young ape. In the morning, Sophie and Otto leave the office and visit the sanctuary’s nursery.

Sophie enters the nursery building and sees three women, or “mamas,” caring for the baby bonobos. They greet Sophie as a young bonobo named Songololo kicks her in the shin and runs away laughing. Sophie asks the mamas for advice, telling them that Otto has not eaten or gone to the bathroom. Mama Brunelle grows serious, and she and Mama Marie-France help Sophie to change Otto’s bandages and apply ointment to his wounds. Sophie notices an adult female bonobo named Anastasia, who is in the nursery because she rejected her baby, Songololo. Sophie tries to feed berries to Otto, but he refuses them. She and Otto then leave the nursery and return to Florence’s office. Sophie and her mother discuss Otto’s case, and Florence is apprehensive. She suggests that Sophie give Otto some flat soda. Sophie puts some warm orange soda on a spoon, and Otto sips it. She gives him another spoonful, and he drinks it eagerly.

Two months later, Sophie and Otto walk through a nearby forest looking for gourds. Otto is much better; his hair is growing back, and his belly has returned to its normal size. He is still isolated from the other bonobos because his test results have not yet returned, so he spends all his time with Sophie.

On a different morning, Sophie plays airplane with Otto as the adult bonobos do with their offspring. They return to Florence’s office and play a modified version of Scrabble. Otto loves the letter tiles and watches Sophie create words out of them. Florence then calls Sophie and Otto to dinner, where the chef serves American-themed dishes in Sophie’s honor.

That afternoon, Sophie and Otto go outside and see Florence talking to the trafficker who sold Otto. Florence is furious, and Otto goes rigid when he sees the man. Florence orders Sophie and Otto back inside, but the man wants to say hello to the ape. Sophie tells him to promise not to sell any more bonobos and turns to leave. The man says he has more friends for her and reveals two baby bonobos in a crate on the back of his bike. Florence tries to get Sophie away from the man, but Sophie considers how she can get the money to buy the two babies. However, she collapses with grief when she finally realizes that she has caused this problem by buying Otto, and that the plight of the two baby bonobos is therefore partially her fault. Florence then punches the man and tells him that she has called people to come and arrest him. Florence also tells him that she is a sorceress and that she is placing a curse on him. The man jumps for his bike and pulls out a knife, threatening to kill the baby bonobos if she does not take the curse back. He also says that he will kill the babies if she follows him. Sophie begs Florence to stop the man, but Florence knows she cannot. Sophie watches the man bike away with the twin bonobos clinging to each other.

Florence calls her various government contacts, but no one can help her. She then leaves her office and tells Sophie that by buying Otto, her daughter has undone all of her work to end the infant bonobo trade. Florence also reminds Sophie that the only way to get a baby bonobo is to kill its family and that the man will do anything he can to keep his own family alive, including killing bonobos to make money. Florence asks Sophie to go upstairs with Otto. Sophie obeys, feeling like a disappointment to her mother.

Sophie sleeps poorly that night, especially with Otto’s hourly feedings. After she bathes Otto the following day, they walk into the front yard and see Patrice directing the sanctuary staff as they unload empty cages from a truck. Patrice tells Sophie that four bonobos are leaving the sanctuary and going to a preserve that Florence has established on an island in the middle of the Congo River. The bonobos must leave today because the government will ground all non-commercial flights tomorrow. Sophie takes Otto to play their version of Scrabble to stay out of the way and avoid Florence.

Florence then enters the building and tells Sophie that she has to leave. She apologizes for leaving and explains that now is the perfect chance to relocate these bonobos. Sophie is angry with her mother for again choosing the bonobos over her family and feels that her mother is punishing her for buying Otto, but she says nothing. Florence also says that because Sophie must go back to Miami in 10 days, she will need to choose a surrogate mother for Otto and begin transitioning him to his new caregiver. Florence then hugs her daughter and leaves.

Sophie wakes the next morning and takes Otto on their usual walk. When they return to the compound, Sophie talks to Patrice, who tells her that there are more fake police and more UN trucks in downtown Kinshasa. Sophie asks if fighting will return to the area, but Patrice reassures her and says that Florence will be fine. Sophie realizes, however, that she and the sanctuary staff are the ones who are truly in danger from the developing political situation.

Two months after coming to the sanctuary, Otto now looks like a healthy young bonobo. The lab results have finally returned, confirming his good health. Because Otto has filled out with proper nutrition, Patrice guesses that Otto is three and a half to four years old. Despite his physical improvement, Otto is still terrified of the other bonobos in the nursery.

On a walk one day, Sophie sees four men dressed in mismatched army uniforms walking up the sanctuary’s driveway. One of the men tells her not to run because they are lost and need directions. Otto watches from the tree branches overhead. Sophie tries to leave, but the men all move toward her, and one grabs a rifle. Otto suddenly jumps down and lands between the men and Sophie. He barks loudly and pretends to charge the men before running into Sophie’s arms. The man with the rifle asks if the ape is Sophie’s, but she tells them to leave. She turns and walks up the path, and the men let her go. Sophie tells Patrice what happened, and he sends Clément to search for the men.

Sophie and Otto have become drawn to a male bonobo named Pweto. Pweto lives alone in a separate enclosure and does not play like the other bonobos. Instead, he sits and watches the stream that runs through his paddock. Pweto is also missing one ear and has a hole in one cheek and a crippled, useless arm. When Sophie and Otto sit next to Pweto’s fence, Otto calls to the other bonobo to play, but Pweto ignores him. Mama Brunelle arrives and says that Pweto used to be the most energetic bonobo at the sanctuary. One day, he was playing with a baby bonobo on his back. The baby slipped and fell to the ground and died from the impact. When the baby’s mother saw her dead baby, she and the other matriarchs attacked Pweto, nearly killing him. He must now live alone because the females will attack him again.

Sophie and Otto go to Sophie’s room to video chat with her dad, but the satellite goes down. She finds the rest of the staff in Florence’s office listening to the radio. Sophie hears that someone has assassinated Congo’s president, leaving the country without a government. Patrice changes the station to an emergency UN channel, which warns listeners to stay indoors and avoid the military and police. The speaker also announces that there are riots in the capital and that armed groups are patrolling the roads. Patrice tells the staff to stay at the sanctuary for now, reassuring everyone that they will be safer this time.

Sophie cannot sleep, so she wanders the halls, occasionally listening to the radio with Patrice and Clément for new information. At dawn, Sophie stares into the jungle, listening for signs of approaching violence. At noon, everyone gathers again in Florence’s office to hear the latest news on the radio and learns that fighting has broken out in several areas around Kinshasa. The radio also announces that the UN will airlift American citizens from the Kinshasa airport that night. Patrice leads Sophie into the hallway and tells her that they have to take her to the airport. Sophie spends the day walking around the sanctuary as she waits for a UN van to pick her up and take her to the airport. She knows that her mother is safe out in the wilderness, but she worries about what will happen to Otto when she leaves, knowing he will not survive losing another mother.

By mid-afternoon, a white UN van arrives to pick up Sophie. An officer exits the van, tells Sophie she is allowed one bag, and denies her request to bring Otto. Patrice promises to take care of Otto, but when Sophie tries to hand the ape to Patrice, Otto clings tightly to Sophie and refuses to let her go. When they finally get Otto away from Sophie, Otto cries and bites Patrice. The officer tells Sophie that it is time to go, but she says she cannot. Patrice then tells her to go quickly to make things easier for Otto, so Sophie gets in the van. As the van drives away, Otto breaks free and runs after it. Sophie yells at the driver to stop, but the officer will not allow it. Sophie opens the van door and jumps out. Otto then jumps into Sophie’s arms, and they return to Patrice. The van stops, and the officer and two peacekeepers get out. The officer explains that because Sophie is a minor, she must go with them, even if they have to arrest her. Sophie runs, and the peacekeepers follow her. She goes to the adult bonobo enclosure and follows the electric fence to a delay switch. Sophie enters the code to pause the electricity and enters the enclosure gate to hide from the peacekeepers.