Kenya has received 17 mountain bongos from the United States, marking a significant milestone in efforts to restore the rare antelope population in their native homeland.

Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano welcomed the bongos in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, hailing the event as a major achievement in conservation.

“These 17 bongos will form a founder population at the Marania and Mucheene sanctuary in Meru County, where they will be nurtured, protected, and gradually reintroduced into their natural habitats,” Ms Miano said.

The rare mountain bongos, considered a national treasure and a unique symbol of Kenya’s rich biodiversity, arrived from the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation in Florida after having been taken out of Kenya in the 1960s.

The 17 antelopes represent a third generation of the critically endangered mountain bongos in Florida.

“The return of these mountain bongos is not just a conservation success; it is a symbol of hope and renewal for Kenya’s biodiversity,” Ms Miano added.

She also emphasised that this initiative demonstrated the power of collaboration across borders and communities.

The repatriation was part of the National Recovery and Action Plan for the Mountain Bongo, which aimed to increase their population to 750 individuals over the next 50 years.

According to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), mountain bongos once thrived in the highland forests of Kenya, but their population has drastically declined over the past five decades due to habitat loss, poaching, and disease.

Fewer than 100 mountain bongos remain in the wild today, making the repatriation effort crucial for their survival.

The 17 bongos, consisting of 12 females and five males, would now form a founder population at the Marania and Mucheene sanctuary in Meru County in eastern Kenya.

The sanctuary, a collaboration between the KWS, Rhino Conservation Trust, and local communities, would serve as a breeding and rewilding centre, with the goal of eventually reintroducing the bongos into their natural habitats.

KWS Director General Erustus Kanga described the repatriation as a reminder of the importance of conservation and collective action.

He noted that the bongos would undergo acclimatisation in an isolation facility at the sanctuary for at least three months, with technical experts from the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation remaining on-site to provide guidance during this critical phase.

(Xinhua/NAN)