Six Decades on the Mountain

The Conservancy's pioneering work dates back to 1964 when the Government of Kenya expressed a growing concern for the dwindling Mountain Bongo numbers in Mount Kenya and Aberdares. Don Hunt, the then Director of Mount Kenya Game Ranch and founder of the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, proposed to the Government of Kenya that they should send some Mountain Bongos to American zoos as 'insurance' for the species so that if the situation in the wild became dire, the Mountain Bongos would not become extinct but could be returned when the conditions were right. Based on this proposal, the Government granted him permission to export 36 Mountain Bongos to the USA.

The group bought a pristine 1,216-acre farm at the foothills of Mount Kenya. It is here that Mount Kenya Game Ranch was founded. They agreed to Don's idea for the concept of their logo, which symbolized the core purpose of the project. It featured the elusive Bongo of Mount Kenya and the Aberdare forests – the rarest, most threatened and, some say, most beautiful of the African antelopes.

Between 1968-1969, studies in the Aberdares and on Mount Kenya indicated a decreasing population of the Mountain Bongo. As illegal poaching increased, so followed the growing number of orphaned animals. In 1969, Iris Hunt established a permanent home for these animals, the Mount Kenya Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.

In partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Services and scientists from the United States, the Mount Kenya Game Ranch began to assist in capturing and rescuing wildlife, ensuring the survival of species despite illegal poaching.

The Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy was formed as a Kenyan non-profit trust, built around the Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre and the Mountain Bongo breeding and rewilding program. This is also the year that the first Mountain Bongos (18) were repatriated from zoos across North America to foster the breeding program.

The American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) named the Mountain Bongo repatriation project among the world's top 3 most successful conservation projects of the year 2006.

On acquiring the Mount Kenya Game Ranch, Mr. Humphrey Kariuki became the principal benefactor of the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, giving the land of Mount Kenya Game Ranch to be used by MKWC and funding the continuation of this critical work.

The Conservation Education Program and the Habitat Restoration Program were launched, bringing students and communities into the Conservancy's work and restoring the indigenous forest the Mountain Bongo depends on.

The National Recovery and Action Plan for the Mountain Bongo was launched by the then Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Hon. Najib Balala at Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, with the goal of growing the Mountain Bongo population to 750 in the next 50 years, by prescribing specific actions aimed at addressing the threats facing the species.

The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) board of directors licensed 776 acres of forest land for the establishment of a Mountain Bongo Sanctuary, showing their dedication and commitment to working together with MKWC and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to ensure the Mountain Bongo is saved from the brink of extinction.

The first five Mountain Bongos were released into the Mawingu Mountain Bongo Sanctuary, which was opened with a ceremonious ribbon cutting. The first-ever Mountain Bongo sanctuary in Africa and the world, it marked a historic milestone in the fight for the animal's survival.

Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy and the Kenya Space Agency signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to harness the power of geospatial technologies for the conservation of the critically endangered Mountain Bongo.

MKWC marks its 20th Anniversary as a beacon of conservation, with the First Lady in attendance.

MKWC secures IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) membership, joining more than 1,400 member organizations from over 160 countries, and Mr. Humphrey Kariuki is honoured as an IUCN Patron of Nature.

Four male Bongos are imported from EAZA zoos to accelerate recovery. We tell our story to the world and show them why we need to continue our work.