Eastern Bongo

Scientific Name: Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci

The mountain or eastern bongo is a flagship species of the mountainous forests of Kenya.  These mountains serve as water catchments and fresh water sources for much of the country, and are important sanctuaries for wildlife.  As a large member of the antelope family, bongo live in herds in the densely forested mountainsides and meadows and feed on a variety of plants and fruits.  The wild population of mountain bongo has declined drastically over the last four decades due to hunting and habitat loss, and the species is considered to be critically endangered.

The bongo herd at White Oak Conservation Center has been particularly successful with over 100 bongo calves being born in the past twenty five years.  The bongo facilities and staff at White Oak are well suited to the care and breeding of this species.  In 2003 White Oak participated with a repatriation project to send animals born in zoos back to Kenya.  Eighteen bongo, including one animal born at the Conservation Center, were gathered at White Oak prior to the shipment.  Conservation Center staff accompanied the entire group as they were trans-located to a holding facility on Mt. Kenya for eventual reintroduction to the forests there. 

The wild population of mountain bongo is severely fragmented due to continued poaching and habitat loss and very little is known about their habits.  White Oak supports the efforts of the Bongo Surveillance Team to survey and monitor the remaining mountain bongo populations on Mt. Kenya and the Aberdare Forest in Kenya.  The team uses camera traps to find and identify bongo herds, and they remove snares and deter poachers while tracking bongo through the forests.  In a combined effort of protecting the remaining wild bongo population and reintroducing animals, White Oak is helping save the mountain bongo and the important forest habitats and resource of Kenya.