Ensuring survival of Kenya's rarest antelope
Fewer than eighty Mountain Bongo remain in the wild in Kenya. From establishing the world's first Bongo sanctuary, our breeding and rewilding programme is proof that dedication and perseverance can reverse extinction of a species.
Our Work
Our Flagship Programme
The critically endangered Mountain Bongo is a striking, forest dwelling antelope found nowhere else on Earth, and it is disappearing fast. Habitat loss, diseases such as rinderpest, poaching and encroachment on the highland forests of Mount Kenya, Eburu, Mau Narok and the Aberdares have pushed the wild population below eighty animals.
The Mountain Bongo is at the heart of Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy's conservation mission. Through science-led conservation and long-term partnerships, MKWC is helping drive one of Kenya's most ambitious species recovery efforts.
Since 2004, repatriated mountain bongos have formed the foundation of a growing breeding population, supporting national efforts to restore the species and secure its future in the wild. By combining breeding, habitat restoration and rewilding, MKWC is working towards healthy, self-sustaining Mountain Bongo populations that can once again thrive in Kenya's forests.
Every calf born, every herd established and every successful rewilding milestone brings us closer to that vision.
The Process
From Breeding to Rewilding
Breeding a Healthy Herd
Our managed herd are direct descendants of the Mountain Bongos repatriated from the US to Kenya in 2004. Careful breeding pairs keep the herd genetically diverse. In 2026, the gene pool has been further enhanced by animals received from EAZA zoos (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) to breed with the existing herd.
Growing Up Wild
Calves are raised with as little human contact as possible, so that natural instinct, not familiarity with people, shapes how they grow.
The Semi-Wild Sanctuary
A key milestone in this journey was the establishment of the 776-acre Mawingu Mountain Bongo Sanctuary in partnership with the Kenya Forest Service. Set within indigenous forest bordering Mount Kenya, the sanctuary provides a protected environment where selected animals can develop the behaviours, resilience and social structures needed for life in the wild.
Release to the Highland Forest
When ready, Bongo are reintroduced into semi-wild and wild montane forest, adding to a small but growing population and moving the species further from the edge of extinction. The ambition is to reach 750 Bongos by 2075 as part of the National Bongo TaskForce Recovery Plan, with successfully rewilded Bongo being transferred to the Kenya Wildlife Service for translocation into the species' former ranges, reinforcing wild populations across the region.
Mountain Bongo Fact Sheet
The Mountain Bongo at a glance: its range, the threats it faces, and the stages of the rewilding programme.
Taxonomy
- Common names
- Eastern Bongo, Kenyan Bongo, Ndongoro
- Scientific name
- Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci
- Conservation status
- Critically endangered. Fewer than 100 individuals in the wild; the most recent estimates put the number between 29 and 50.
Distribution and Habitat
- Historical range
- Native to Kenya. Regionally extinct in Uganda (Mt. Elgon). In Kenya, Mountain Bongo populations are found in the Aberdares and Maasai Mau, with hope of more remaining in the forests of Mt. Kenya and Eburu.
- Ex-situ populations
- There are more than 700 Mountain Bongos in zoos and similar institutions across the USA and Europe.
- Habitat
- Mountain forests between 2,000 and 3,000 metres above sea level.
Reproduction and Biology
- Gestation period
- 270 days
- Offspring per birth
- One young per birth; twins are rare and scarcely survive. Calves are usually left concealed in undergrowth to avoid detection by predators, and mothers return to nurse them at intervals. Only after this period does the calf join the mother's herd, where it is cared for and protected by all the females.
- Weaning
- At 6 months
- Breeding lifetime
- Females breed up to 16 years of age, and can mate within weeks of giving birth.
- Time of growth of horns
- Males: 6 months. Females: 1 year.
- Life span
- 19 years (average)
- Mating season
- October to January
- Age at sexual maturity
- 20 to 24 months
Appearance
- Horns
- Both males and females have horns. The horns are spiral, with one turn.
- Shoulder height
- 110 to 130 cm
- Skin and coat
- Red chestnut with 10 to 15 vertical white torso stripes. Males are darker.
- Body length
- 170 to 250 cm
- Tail length
- 45 to 65 cm
- Weight
- Males: 240 to 400 kg. Females: 150 to 250 kg.
- Foot size
- Cloven hoofed; 7.5 to 10 cm
Behaviour
- Social interactions and group sizes
- Breeding groups of up to 24 individuals have been recorded, made up of mothers and their young. Males tend to be solitary, with loose coalitions among them. The males do not coerce or limit the females' movement.
- Defence and flight
- Mothers can be very aggressive when they are with their young. To defend themselves, bongos attack swiftly with their horns held low and forward. When fleeing, they hold their horns against the back of their neck to move fast through the forest.
- Vocalisations
- A wide range of vocalisations, including grunts, snorts, 'clicking sounds' from bulls questing to mate, and bleat-like alarm calls from mothers calling out their calves. Each vocalisation signals interaction or defence, and should not be mimicked by humans as it can provoke an undesirable response.
- Wallowing
- Bongos wallow frequently in mud and afterwards rub the mud on trees, polishing their horns. Males in the mating period can soil their horns, leaving recognisable spoor on the forest floor.
- Daily activity
- Most active at dusk and in the early morning.
- Speed
- Very swift to vanish into thickets when startled, and may also attack when provoked.
- Feeding habits and diet
- Predominantly browsers, feeding on leaves, shoots and grasses.
- Senses
- They rely on sight and hearing more than smell, and are one of the few antelopes that do not use scent marking.
- Sleep
- They sleep in turns, facing different directions, so that each one acts as a sentry. Even while feeding, they make careful pauses to listen to their surroundings.
See inside the world's first sanctuary built for the Mountain Bongo.
Mawingu Mountain Bongo Sanctuary
The Sanctuary
In 2020, MKWC secured a licence from the Kenya Forest Service for 776 acres of indigenous forest at the foot of Mount Kenya. Two years later in 2022, that land became Mawingu Mountain Bongo Sanctuary, the world's first sanctuary built specifically for this species. Since then, the team has begun releasing Bongos from the breeding programme into the sanctuary's semi-wild conditions, working towards ensuring a robust, healthy population can be reintroduced into their natural habitat in Kenya's montane forests.
Explore Our History
Restoring the Forest, Not Just the Species
Restoring the Forest
A Bongo cannot return to a forest that no longer exists. Alongside breeding, our team plants indigenous trees to replenish forest areas damaged by fire, climate change and illegal logging, restoring the habitat the species depends on for food and survival. Guests visiting the conservancy or staying at the Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club are invited to plant a tree of their own during their visit.
Plan Your VisitMore of Our Conservation Work
Every programme here works toward the same goal where wildlife thrives on its own terms.
