Conservation status
Less than a hundred of the magnificent mountain bongos are left in the wild, teetering on the edge of extinction
On the other end, there are around 500 mountain bongo in captivity around the world which are managed under several different captive breeding programmes, such as the European Endangered species Programme (or EEP). A global studbook for the bongo is managed to monitor these breeding programmes and coordinate their management to help preserve the genetic health of the captive population.
A global studbook coordinate all breeding programmes to help preserve the genetic health of the captive population.
However, only once the genetic diversity of the remaining bongos is known, will it be possible to supplement current populations with captive bred individuals (known as augmentation) and even create new breeding populations. This also depends on securing suitable and safe habitats, along with understanding more about the basic bongo ecology to identify such habitat before the release.
HISTORICAL DISTRIBUTION
In the 1980s, the bongo’s range extended across the rainforests of Central Africa – Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia. In Kenya, the mountain bongo could be found in:
• The Aberdare Ecosystem (approx. 2,000 km2)
• Mt. Kenya National Park (approx. 2,700 km2)
• Mau South West Forest Reserve and Mau Eburru Forest Reserve (approx. 87 km2)
• Mt. Londiani, Chemorogok and Lembus adjacent forests and Cherangani hills
In the last few decades there has been a rapid decline in numbers within the continent due to poaching and human pressure on habitat. In Kenya, the population of bongo has been on a downward trend and indeed in some of the ranges local extinction has been reported, these include the Cherangani and Chepalungu hills.
The Bongo species is categorised as near threatened on the IUCN Red List, with an estimated population of 15,000-25,000 mature individuals and declining. However, the Mountain Bongo population has undergone a dramatic decline, with the remaining population estimated at just 100 individuals, comprising less than 50 in the Aberdare National Park, 10-15 at Mt. Kenya National Park, about 10 in the Eburru Forest Reserve, 20+ in the Maasai Mau Forest Complex, and less than 10 in the SW Mau Forest.
The decline of the bongo antelope is attributed to various causes namely: habitat fragmentation, poaching, predation pressure, disease and other human factors. The survival of the Mountain Bongo hinges on more effective protection of the surviving isolated populations, along with monitoring and conservation of their habitat. There are currently more Mountain Bongo in captivity than in the wild, and wild populations are being boosted by the reintroduction of captive-bred animals on Mt. Kenya.
Working with local communities and our partners is crucial to increasing our understanding of mountain bongos, their ecology and habitat requirements, the threats they face and the conservation strategies needed in order to successfully stop their extinction in the wild
looming threats
Snares and bust meat
The central Kenyan highlands they inhabit - Mount Kenya, the Aberdares, the Mau forest, Eburru forest - are experiencing the rapid growth of human population and settlement, lying close to cities such as Nairobi, Kericho and Narok. This has given rise to a proliferation of illegal and destructive activity within the forest reserves, ranging from logging and charcoal production to active poaching with snares and dogs. Along with many other species in the region, the mountain bongo is hunted as "bush meat" to feed a growing human population.
Habitat degradation and logging
Habitat degradation is a serious problem in these regions and has environmental consequences far beyond the range of the bongo, which includes increased droughts and drying of natural water sources. The Afromontane (mountain forest) ecosystem the bongo inhabits forms a significant water catchment zone, collecting and storing rainwater which feeds many of East Africa's river and wetland ecosystems. When Afromontane ecosystems are degraded, mountain bongos are historically one of the first organisms to disappear. The bongo may therefore be useful as an indicator of ecosystem health which is important for many other species, including humans.
Agriculture in forests
This has resulted in bongo habitat fragmentation, effectively isolating the remaining bongo populations on separate mountain ranges unable to interact or, importantly, interbreed. A vital part of our work involves attempting to study the genetic health, or genetic diversity, of the remaining wild bongo, by collecting faecal (droppings) samples for genetic analysis. Such analyses will hopefully be able to show how genetically healthy the remaining individuals are.
+254 733 642 320
Sangare Conservancy, Mweiga, Aberdare National Park, Kenya