Bonobos have experienced a significant population reduction in the past 12 to 20 years.

Unfortunately, only a small portion of their habitat is protected. Due to war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, illegal activities in the national parks have continued unchecked. Locals depend on the wildlife for protein — even if it’s meat from endangered species. These great apes are also targeted by poachers because of their large size. The civil strife has also caused an increase of destruction and degradation to the bonobo habitat. Logging and subsistence agriculture are also a threat. Industrial extraction could also become a big risk to the species' future as 99.2 percent of their range and habitat has been found to be suitable for palm oil.

Their population is shrinking and reproduction is slow.

Females become sexually mature after they are 12 years old and may give birth soon after. However, females give birth to a single infant every five to six years, and they tend to nurse and carry their babies for five years. As a result, population growth cannot happen fast enough to counter high levels of poaching, habitat loss, and human encroachment.