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Kenya's Bongo Antelopes Beat Extinction Threat
9 May
Summary
- Kenya conservancy aims for 750 wild bongos by 2050.
- New bongos arrived from Europe to diversify genetic pool.
- Last wild bongo spotted in 1994; first reintroduction in 2022.
The Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya is actively working to save the critically endangered mountain bongo, a species with fewer than 100 individuals remaining in the wild. Their ambitious target is to reintroduce 750 bongos into their native habitat by 2050.
The conservancy, located on the slopes of Mount Kenya, focuses on rewilding zoo-bred bongos, teaching them essential survival skills like foraging and predator evasion. This ensures they are well-prepared for life in the wild. Recently, four male bongos were imported from Europe to be bred with existing populations, thereby increasing the genetic diversity of the species.
Bongos, native to several Kenyan forests, play a crucial role in their ecosystem. Their population drastically declined due to disease outbreaks in the 1960s and later conservation efforts, including export to the U.S. in the 1980s. The conservancy's dedicated program saw the first wild bongo reintroduction in 2022, with a new calf born in the wild last year signifying a hopeful future for the species.
