Nairobi, Feb 24 Kenya received 17 mountain bongos from the US, a development hailed as a major milestone in the efforts to restore the rare antelope population in Kenya, their only native homeland.
"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," said Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, who welcomed the bongos in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
The rare mountain bongos, a national treasure among Kenya's wildlife species and a unique symbol of Kenya's rich biodiversity, arrived from the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation in Florida, having been taken away in the 1960s.
The 17 antelopes are 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. This initiative demonstrates what we can achieve when we work together, across borders, disciplines, and communities," Miano said.
She said the repatriation is part of the National Recovery and Action Plan for the Mountain Bongo, which aims to increase the population to 750 individuals over the next 50 years.
Once thriving in the highland forests of Kenya, the population of mountain bongos has declined drastically over the past five decades due to habitat loss, poaching, and disease, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
Today, fewer than 100 mountain bongos remain in the wild, making this repatriation effort a critical step toward their survival, the KWS said.
The 17 bongos, 12 females and 5 males, will form a founder population at the Marania and Mucheene sanctuary in Meru County in eastern Kenya. The sanctuary, established through a partnership between the KWS, the Rhino Conservation Trust and local communities, will serve as a breeding and rewilding center, with the ultimate goal of reintroducing the bongos into their natural habitats, Xinhua news agency reported.
KWS Director General Erustus Kanga said the repatriation of these mountain bongos is a reminder of the importance of conservation and the need for collective action.
He said the bongos will be placed in an isolation facility at the Marania and Mucheene sanctuary for at least three months, during which they will undergo acclimatisation.
Technical experts from the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation will remain on-site to provide guidance and support during this critical phase, Kanga said.
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