BONGO REPATRIATION PROGRAM - On January 29, 2004, at 8:00 p.m., an Air Transport International DC-8 freighter touched down in Nairobi carrying 18 captive-bred 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.

FROM THE FIELD - In conjunction with the Repatriation Program, RSCF Research Associate Lyndon Estes has been investigating the ecology of mountain bongo in Kenya. His formative research utilizes habitat modeling, remote sensing techniques, mt-DNA analysis, camera-traps and direct-tracking methods to determine habitat use by bongo, identify key conservation areas, and set long-term management priorites for the Aberdares and Mt. Kenya.

Click here for camera trap images and field program updates.

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...

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

On behalf of the entire bongo team, RSCF extends its heart-felt thanks to the following:

To the Kenya Government, Kenya Wildlife Service, and the people of Kenya, for enthusiastically supporting the repatriation effort, and for your warm hospitality and collegiality. A special thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Wambwa, chief veterinarian for KWS, and to Mr. Bongo Woodley, chief park warden for Mt. Kenya National Park--we cherish your friendship, and your passionate dedication to wildlife. RSCF and its partners look forward to a long, prosperous relationship on behalf of Kenya's people, wildlife, and wild places.