Four rare mountain bongos flown to Kenya to boost conservation effort

Nairobi: Four mountain bongos, Africa’s rarest species of antelope, have touched down in Kenya in a major step to save the species from the brink of extinction.

With fewer than 50 remaining in the wild, the translocation from European zoos to Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy provides a significant boost to breeding and rewilding efforts.

Traveling more than 4,000 miles, the four male bongos were bred in European zoos as part of an international conservation breeding program.

Found only in Kenya, the mountain bongo is recognizable by its rust-red coat with bold white vertical stripes and long spiral horns. Experts say population losses were due to poaching, habitat loss, disease, and fragmentation.

The coordinated initiative was led by experts at Chester Zoo, and also involved the Kenya Wildlife Service and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria.

“This transfer is the result of years of planning — and is a shining example,” said Chester Zoo’s Dr. Nick Davis, who coordinates the conservation breeding program for the mountain bongo in European zoos

.The bongos will join the conservancy’s resident herd as part of a long-term plan to rebuild a genetically viable population for release into protected wild habitats on Mount Kenya.