Endangered

“I’d learned to shut all of it out, because you couldn’t travel more than a few miles in Kinshasa without seeing a person dying on the side of the road, and I figured dying humans were more important than dying animals. But it had always been my mother’s philosophy that the way we treat animals goes hand in hand with the way we treat people, and so she’d dedicated her life to stopping men like this one, bushmeat traders hoping for a sale.”

Sophie’s observation about suffering as she drives through Kinshasa demonstrates the volatility of the novel’s setting as well as the prevalent role that suffering plays in the plot. Despite her inexperience in the world at this point in the story, Sophie’s grim and clear-headed observations demonstrate her relative maturity even at the beginning of the novel. The narration also explains the philosophical views that drive Sophie’s mother to take action and attempt to alleviate the suffering of the animals in this environment.

“He’s very bad, Sophie. You made a big mistake by giving him money. I can see you’re starting to understand the gravity of what I’m saying, so I won’t bring it up again. But you have to be wise about these things. You have to learn when to ignore suffering so that you’re strong enough to fight it when the time is right.”

While Sophie demonstrates some maturity in handling conflict, she does not always fully understand the consequences of her choices. For example, when Sophie buys Otto from the trafficker, she sees a poor man selling a baby bonobo to make money. She forgets that young bonobos can only be taken by killing their families and does not realize that purchasing Otto only compounds that problem. Florence better understands these complexities and helps her daughter understand how to navigate suffering and conflict more effectively.

“The guidelines on how to keep a young bonobo healthy are pretty short: When they’re with their mothers, they’re happy and healthy; when they’re not with their mothers, they begin to die.”

This passage outlines how important mothers are to baby bonobos and explains why Otto clings so desperately to Sophie immediately upon meeting her in Kinshasa. It also explains the vital role that Sophie now plays in Otto’s life and why she decides to leave the UN van and stay with the ape.