Mountain Bongo Repatriation Program
A three-decade commitment to returning the critically endangered Mountain Bongo to its native Kenyan forest home, one of conservation's most ambitious and sustained species recovery efforts.
30+
BONGO REPATRIATED
750
50 YEAR POPULATION TARGET
1994
PROGRAM FOUNDED
<100
WILD BONGO REMAINING
Conservation In Real-Time
Why the Mountain Bongo?
Fewer than 100 Mountain Bongos survive in the wild, confined to isolated forest patches on Mt. Kenya. This large, strikingly striped antelope is Critically Endangered — and without sustained intervention, extinction is a real possibility.
What is Repatriation?
North American captive bred bongos are carefully selected, health-screened, and transported to managed sanctuaries in Kenya, where they adapt to native habitat before eventual wild release in their ancestral range along the slopes of Mt. Kenya.
What it Takes
Bringing a species back from the brink doesn't happen overnight. It requires millions of dollars, decades of sustained commitment, and the coordinated effort of governments, scientists, zoos, and communities across two continents, with no finish line in sight.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The Mountain Bongo
The Mountain Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) is the largest and heaviest forest antelope in the world, distinguished by its rich chestnut coat and bold white vertical stripes. Once ranging widely across East Africa's highland forests, the species has been pushed to the brink by human encroachment and habitat loss with its last wild stronghold the montane forests of Mt. Kenya.
RSCF has maintained a breeding population at its Loxahatchee, Florida facility for over three decades, preparing animals for repatriation and serving as a critical genetic resource for the global recovery effort.
Conservation Status
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
Wild Range: Mount Kenya, Kenya only
Captive Population: ~400 (North America)
Primary Threats: Habitat Loss
PROGRAM HISTORY
30 Years in the Making
NATIONAL RECOVERY STRATEGY
Kenya's Action Plan
1994
National Recovery & Action Plan
Kenya Wildlife Service 2019 - 2023
Program Conceived
RSCF Director Dr. Paul R. Reillo and RSCF trustee Dr. Richard Estes design the Mountain Bongo Repatriation Program, a long-view initiative to permanently restore bongos to their native Kenyan habitat.
2004
First Repatriation: 18 Bongo
RSCF, in collaboration with the UN Foundation, Donner Foundation, UNDP, White Oak Conservation Center, and AZA zoos, successfully repatriates 18 mountain bongos to the Mt. Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, the first effort of its kind in history.
2020
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy Partnership
RSCF joins with Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to establish the Meru Bongo Rhino Sanctuary, a groundbreaking public-private partnership designed to create a protected, managed habitat adjacent to the Mt. Kenya ecosystem.
Objective: Increase the mountain bongo population to 750 individuals in Kenya within 50 years through coordinated repatriation, habitat protection, and community engagement, saving the species from extinction.
CORE STRATEGIES:
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Repatriation of founder groups to managed sanctuaries adjacent to the Mt. Kenya ecosystem
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Landscape and forest habitat protection with international bongo team support
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Community awareness programs and sustainable alternative livelihoods
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Anti-poaching security infrastructure and enforcement
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Genetic and demographic research to guide breeding decisions
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Adaptive management via information feedback mechanisms
2024
Meru Bongo Rhino Sanctuary Dedicated
The Meru Bongo Rhino Sanctuary is officially dedicated, a landmark moment representing decades of multi-stakeholder commitment to biodiversity conservation in Kenya.
2025
Second Repatriation: 17 Bongo Return to Kenya
On February 23rd, 17 mountain bongos were safely transported from RSCF's Loxahatchee facility to the Meru Bongo Rhino Sanctuary. Managed by the Meru Bongo and Rhino Conservation Trust (MBRCT), this marks Kenya's first conservation public-private-community partnership.
Program Partners & Collaborators
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Kenya Wildlife Service
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Kenya Forest Service
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Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
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Mt. Kenya Wildlife Conservancy
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United Nations Foundation
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UNDP
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Meru County Government
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Meru Bongo & Rhino Conservation Trust
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White Oak Conservation Center
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AZA Member Zoos
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Donner Foundation
PROGRAM IMPACT
What Your Support Has Made Possible
Every gift to RSCF's Mountain Bongo Program directly funds the field operations, animal care, transport logistics, and in-country partnerships that keep this decades-long recovery effort moving forward. The work continues, and the bongo's survival depends on sustained support.
Wild Palm Beaches - RSCF's Bongo Program