03-17-2012, 03:03 PM
![[Image: 16190786.jpg]](http://news.sky.com/sky-news/content/StaticFile/jpg/2012/Mar/Week3/16190786.jpg)
![[Image: Z9120202-Bonobo_apes_mating-SPL.jpg]](http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/385220/530wm/Z9120202-Bonobo_apes_mating-SPL.jpg)
![[Image: bonobo_full_estrus.JPG]](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VJ0hMFPolCk/ToOI7dcAbMI/AAAAAAAAAL8/SgFXzTLqUtg/s1600/bonobo_full_estrus.JPG)
![[Image: 8ad8cd6df72adc6dac444ef6e73f58f1.wix_mp]](http://static.wix.com/media/8ad8cd6df72adc6dac444ef6e73f58f1.wix_mp)
Sky News
A species of ape is on the brink of extinction - even though they are addicted to sex.
Bonobo apes live in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in central Africa and often have sex every few minutes.
they must be tired! But because they have quite low fertility, are hunted for their meat and their babies are stolen as pets, their numbers are now perilously low.
The Bonobos are the closest species to human beings and are now classified as "endangered".
Evelyne Peteolot, from Lola Ya Bonobos Sanctuary near Kinshasa, told Sky News: "We know that the number of animals is diminishing in dramatic proportions.
"However we don't have accurate data, so we're unable to give exact numbers. It is so difficult with all the political problems here to be able to carry out a proper census."
Before the years of brutal civil war in the DRC it was estimated there were around 100,000 bonobo apes, now it is feared there are around 5,000.