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A JOB WELL DONE On 29 January 2004, at 8:00 p.m., an Air Transport International DC-8 freighter touched down in Nairobi carrying 18 mountain bongo antelope and two tons of antelope feed, consummating
RSCF's 10-year campaign to repatriate bongo from the U.S. to Kenya.
The mountain bongo repatriation project represents a rare milestone in wildlife conservation, aiming to restore a critically endangered flagship species to self-sustaining levels in the wild from captive U.S. zoo stock. The repatriated bongos are founders for a long-term breeding effort at the Mt. Kenya Wildlife Conservancy whose descendants will be gradually acclimated to the wild over future generations. Ultimately, the program seeks to restore a sustainable wild population within the Mt. Kenya World Heritage Site via close coordination with the Kenya Wildlife Service.  © RSCF Bongo are loaded in crates on to DC-8  © RSCF Bongo release in Kenya To help support the Bongo Repatriation Program, please make your tax deductable donation here. |
BONGO REPATRIATION PROJECT The Return of the Mountain Bongo Antelope to Kenya. Kenya's mountain bongo (Boocercus eurycerus isaaci) is a flagship species for one of the world's richest forest ecosystems. Due to poaching, habitat destruction and lion predation, the wild stocks of this species are believed to be close to extinction in their original habitats. In Mt. Kenya World Heritage Site (WHS), the bongo antelope has not been seen for over 9 years. This initiative seeks to return the mountain bongo to its country of origin by repatriating individuals from the captive population kept in American zoological institutions. The Mountain Bongo project aims to establish an in situ captive breeding program in a natural setting in Mt. Kenya WHS, as the first phase of several conservation steps required to reintroduce mountain bongos to the wild. The project will also help build the capacity of national conservation partners in captive breeding and reintroduction programs. The media attention this project is likely to attract will strengthen public awareness on WHS importance and will be key to current mobilization efforts to expand and enhance conservation and community livelihood initiatives in and around Mt. Kenya. The Repatriation of the Mountain Bongo Antelope project is a strategic, targeted and timely initiative that brings together UN organizations, the Kenyan Government, and local, national and international non-governmental organizations. More...  © RSCF Released bongo take thier first drink in Kenya  © RSCF Bongo mother and calf |
PARTNERSHIPS and TEAMWORK The bongo project is as unprecedented in its achievements as in its organizational partnerships. Conceived by RSCF directors Dr. Estes and Dr. Reillo in the early 1990's, the bongo repatriation project links RSCF with: United Nations Foundation United Nations Development Programme Kenya Wildlife Service Mountain Bongo Surveillance Project Rhino Ark The Ecology of the Mountain Bongo Antelope Association of Zoos and Aquariums Purina Brand Mazuri Feeds The Donner Canadian Foundation Calgary Zoological Society White Oak Conservation Center AZA Bongo Species Survival Plan Mt. Kenya Wildlife Conservancy William Holden Foundation  © RSCF Juvenile bongo On behalf of the entire bongo team, RSCF extends its heart-felt thanks to the following:  © RSCF Young Female bongo |
Click here for images of wild bongo and other wildlife photographed in Kenya using hidden camera traps. |
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