Mountain Bongos Return to Kenya: A Conservation Triumph!

Quick Smiles:

• 17 mountain bongos have arrived in Kenya for reintroduction into their natural habitat.
• The mountain bongo population is critically endangered, with fewer than 100 individuals remaining in the wild.
• The bongos will first acclimate at a Kenyan Wildlife Service center before returning to the wild.

A significant milestone has been reached in the conservation efforts for one of the world’s most elusive antelope species.

Seventeen mountain bongos, flown in from a conservation center in Florida, have touched down in Kenya, where they will eventually be reintroduced into their natural habitat.

This subspecies of bongo, known as the eastern or mountain bongo, is critically endangered, with its population numbering less than 100 individuals in the wild.

Interestingly, more of these majestic creatures exist in zoos than in their natural habitat.

The mountain bongo’s history is fascinating, as it is believed that these antelopes became a forest species when climate changes transformed savannahs into forests thousands of years ago.

Their current home range is in southern Kenya, particularly on the slopes of Mount Kenya National Park and the surrounding woodlands.

As the third-largest antelope species in the world, following the giant eland and common eland, the mountain bongo’s return to Kenya is a significant event.

Tourism Minister Rebecca Miano expressed her delight, describing the arrival of the bongos at the country’s main airport as “emotional and so cool.”

These animals will first reside in an acclimation center managed by the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS).

Here, they will be safeguarded as they gradually re-hone their instincts for survival in the wild.

Moreover, within the next three months, the KWS anticipates receiving another group of bongos from captive breeding programs across Europe.

The last major arrival of such animals in Kenya occurred in 2004, when 18 bongos were successfully integrated with the wild population.

While some succumbed to tick-borne diseases, the event proved that with adequate time and training, captive animals can thrive in the wild.

This positive development offers renewed hope for this charismatic species, inching them closer to a safer future.

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