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Two times hope for the rare bongo antelopes
At the end of March, four-year-old bongo bull FITZ left Frankfurt Zoo. Together with other bongo bulls from European zoos, he was prepared for his onward journey to Kenya at Safari Park Dvůr Králové in the Czech Republic, as FITZ is part of a breeding and reintroduction programme in cooperation with the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (MKWC). On 15 April, his mother KAWANA gave birth to another cub.
„Thanks to the commitment of several zoos in the European Zoo Association and conservation organisations in Kenya, there is hope for the impressive bongo antelopes. We are pleased to be able to contribute to the conservation of the species. Frankfurt Zoo has been successfully breeding bongo antelopes for many decades – the first calf bred in Europe was born here in 1973. The young animal born in mid-April, a small bull, is already number 30. The fact that bongos born in zoos have recently gone to Kenya as part of a reintroduction project is a good example of how species conservation in zoos and in the animals' areas of origin go hand in hand, says Dr Ina Hartwig, Head of the Department of Culture and Science.
For KAWANA, who is twelve years old, this is her fifth calf. The birth went smoothly and calmly, the experienced mother is taking good care of her offspring. The father is the three-year-old N´DOGO. He came to Frankfurt in 2025 from the Safari de Peaugres zoo in France. The conservation breeding programme of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA), the EAZA Ex-situ Programme (EEP), now comprises a healthy and genetically robust bongo population of 172 animals in 48 European zoos. Regular births, such as the current one at Frankfurt Zoo, are essential for this. Only a stable zoo population makes it possible to provide individuals for reintroduction in Kenya.
Eastern bongos (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci), also known as mountain bongos, are in the highest threat category on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The reasons for this are manifold and range from hunting to habitat loss, including through illegal deforestation, to diseases transmitted by livestock. There are now many more bongos in human care than in their natural habitats. According to estimates, there are fewer than 60 individuals in the wild. We want to help give the bongos a chance. That is why we are supporting the breeding and reintroduction programme in Kenya not only with our FITZ, but also financially, because the logistics behind such a project are complex and expensive," explains Zoo Director Dr Christina Geiger.
„At the beginning of the year, I was able to visit the MKWC and see the great work of my colleagues there for myself. Since their beginnings in 2004, they have built up a successful breeding centre for mountain bongos and established a reintroduction project so that the population there has now increased to over 100 animals. This example clearly shows how species conservation can succeed through targeted breeding, habitat management and effective protection measures when many stakeholders work hand in hand," says Dr Sabrina Linn, Head of the Scientific Department at Frankfurt Zoo.
All the experts involved agree that the four bulls will make a valuable contribution to strengthening the genetic diversity of the Eastern bongo in Kenya and promoting the reintroduction of the species to its native range.
Humphrey Kariuki, the patron of the MKWC, said on the arrival of the bongo bulls that it marks a turning point for the Conservancy's breeding and reintroduction goals: "This is a significant milestone for the MKWC's mountain bongo breeding and reintroduction programme as we continue to accelerate the progress made in recent years. The support of the Kenyan government, Kenya Wildlife Service, EAZA and other international partners has been crucial to the expansion of our conservation work. These four male bongos will strengthen the existing population of over 100 animals and increase breeding capacity. This will open up new opportunities to expand our breeding herds and bring us closer to our goal of re-establishing the mountain bongo in the wild in the future.
About Eastern Bongos
Bongos are large, massively built antelopes that are perfectly camouflaged in their forest habitat with their light to dark brown colouring and narrow white stripes. In bongos, both sexes have spirally twisted horns that can grow up to one metre long.
They are diurnal and like areas with a lot of undergrowth. In case of danger, the animals try to squeeze through the dense undergrowth and do not jump over it. The young animals are so-called divers and spend most of the day in their hiding place. They are only visited by their mother to suckle.
Eastern Bongos are almost extinct in the wild. In Mount Kenya National Park, an ancestral habitat of the antelopes, there are currently no bongos left in the wild. Together with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (MKWC), the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) is working on an elaborate breeding and reintroduction programme with the aim of one day reintroducing bongos to Mount Kenya National Park. The MKWC is located on the edge of the national park. Over 100 bongos currently live there in a managed population in human care. The four bulls from Europe will be integrated into the domestic breeding programme after an acclimatisation period and refresh the gene pool.