Empty Hands, Open Arms : Milkweed Editions : 9781571313409 : 1571313400 : 14 Nov 2013 : When acclaimed author Deni Béchard first learned of the last living bonobos?matriarchal great apes that are, alongside the chimpanzee, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom?he was completely astonished. How could the world possibly accept the extinction of this majestic species? Béchard discovered one relatively small NGO, the Bonobo Conservation Initiative (BCI), which has done more to save bonobos than many far larger organizations. Based on the author's extensive travels in the Congo and Rwanda, this book explores BCI's success, offering a powerful, truly postcolonial model of conservation. In contrast to other traditional conservation groups Béchard finds, BCI works closely with Congolese communities, addressing the underlying problems of poverty and unemployment, which lead to the hunting of bonobos. By creating jobs and building schools, they gradually change the conditions that lead to