A rare antelope species may be reemerging in an area where it was once thought to be locally extinct, a discovery that is giving some conservationists hope.
In the past few decades, the wild mountain bongo — an antelope found in Kenya — has seen its population dwindle to small, fragmented areas, including in the mountains of Aberdare National Park. That is, until trail cam photos captured something incredible: bongos in a fragment of the Maasai Mau forest about 125 miles (about 200 kilometers) away.
“The excitement in camp was unbelievable when we first looked through the photos,” Oscar Dyer, the director of operations at the Mountain Bongo Project (MBP), said in a press release. “This image is the result of years of hard work by our rangers on the ground in one of Kenya’s most inaccessible forests. Seeing a bongo here again is incredibly exciting — and it reinforces our determination to continue searching, protecting this forest, and finding evidence of more bongos in the area.”
What Happened to the Wild Mountain Bongos?
Young male bongo captured on the trail cam at night.
(Image Courtesy of Chester Zoo and MBP)
Before the trail-cam photos, MBP, the Chester Zoo, the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (MKWC), and the Kenya Wildlife Service partnered to conduct a high-tech survey of mountain bongo populations in 2025.
The AI results indicated that at the time only 28 bongos were living in the Aberdare region, though rangers from the MBP believe the number is closer to 40. According to the press release, bongos have been greatly impacted by game hunting and habitat loss, including illegal deforestation.
“I believe the world would be poorer for their loss,” Tommaso Sandri, a Chester Zoo conservationist and MBP Advisory Council member, said in the press release. “Their presence makes the forest more magical. This is a problem caused by people, and we need people to fix it. Without everyone sharing their expertise and resources, the bongo could be lost.”
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The Elusive Mountain Bongo Makes and Appearence
Adult male bongo captured on the trail cam
(Image Courtesy of Chester Zoo MBP)
Though the wild populations are small, these photos from Maasai Mau have given researchers a renewed sense of hope. One of the bongos on the trail cam is a mature male that Sandri likely identified back in 2018. Though bongos are large, they are very shy. Coupled with their low population numbers, this can make them hard to track. But, according to Sandri, if the bongo had been able to stay hidden for this long, it’s possible that other bongos could also be in the area.
Soon after, more photos revealed a young male and female bongo in the area.
“This is huge news,” Sandri said in the press release. “Unlike Aberdares, Maasai Mau is not a national park, and the reappearance of bongo may focus [organizations] on increasing broader protections. It’s a testament to the persistence of the MBP rangers who work in incredibly difficult and isolated conditions to monitor and protect this antelope.”
Bongo Reintroduction and Protecting Wild Populations
Young female bongo on the trail cam.
(Image Courtesy of Chester Zoo and MBP)
With these new images, bongo experts, including those from Chester Zoo and other organizations, are working on a plan to implement safeguards to better protect mountain bongos. The few seen in Maasai Mau are exciting, but there is still much to learn about them and plenty of conservation work left to do.
"The Mau population represents a significant genetic pool for mountain bongos, and it is therefore vital for long-term conservation," Robert Aruho, head of the MKWC, said in the press release.
According to the Chester Zoo, about 900 bongos live in sanctuaries and zoos worldwide, and various organizations are working to protect wild populations and reintroduce some bongos to the wild. Reintroducing some of these bongos into the wild, as the coordinated effort led by Chester Zoo did with four males, could also increase genetic diversity and help bongo populations grow.
“The mountain bongo is not beyond saving, but it does need us to act together," Dyer added. “Collaboration between [organizations] like MBP, Chester Zoo, and our partners brings hope and is turning knowledge, protection, and persistence into real impact on the ground. With sustained support, we can ensure wild bongos continue to live in Kenya’s forests.”
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Article Sources
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- This article references information from the Chester Zoo: Incredibly rare antelope captured on camera in region where they were thought to have disappeared
