Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The ‘mountain bongo’, a critically endangered species, is being slowly reintroduced into the wild by conservationists to increase the number of the rare antelope that are indigenous to Kenya’s forests.
The mountain bongo is known for its brown skin and distinct white stripes. With fewer than 100 individuals left in the wild, a conservancy based in Kenya is reintroducing them into the wild, with a target of 750 wild bongos by 2050.
Located on the misty slopes of Kenya’s highest mountain, Mount Kenya, the 1,250- acre Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy in the Nanyuki area has been restoring the survival instincts of zoo-bred bongos. They want to ensure the animals can feed without human assistance, escape from predators, and build a strong immunity against diseases in the wild. Last week, the conservancy imported four male bongos from the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria through the Czech Republic.
Currently quarantined and under constant observation, will interbreed with descendants of 18 bongos that arrived at the conservancy in 2004 from the US to ensure a more diverse genetic pool. The last wild bongo was spotted in the Mount Kenya forest in 1994.
