What to know about Mountain Bongos: Africa's rare antelope

THE STAR INFOGRAPHIC

In a significant move to protect one of Africa's rarest antelopes, Kenya has welcomed an additional 17 Mountain Bongos from Florida, USA.

The plane carrying the animals touched down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on February 23, 2025, before they were transported to Meru where they will be integrated into breeding and protection programmes.

Kenya’s ambitious plan is to establish a national population of 750 Mountain Bongos within the next 50 years as part of the ongoing conservation efforts aimed at saving the species.

Mountain Bongos (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) are a subspecies of the Bongo, a type of forest antelope found primarily in the mountainous forests of central Kenya.

They are a critically endangered antelope whose population has drastically declined from approximately 500 individuals in the 1970s to fewer than 100 in the wild today in Kenya.