Seventeen rare mountain bongos, a critically endangered species of antelope, have arrived in Kenya from a conservation centre in the United States.
The animals, third-generation descendants of mountain bongos taken from Kenya in the 1960s, were received at Nairobi’s main airport on Sunday night.
The return of the mountain bongos is seen as a significant boost to Kenya’s conservation efforts.
The country’s tourism minister, Rebecca Miano, described the arrival as “emotional and so cool,” and a benefit for Kenya’s tourism and conservation sectors.
The mountain bongos will be nurtured in wildlife sanctuaries in Meru county near Mount Kenya before being gradually introduced to their natural habitat. The goal is to grow the population to 700 by 2050.
Currently, fewer than 100 mountain bongos are estimated to remain in the wild in Kenya due to habitat loss, poaching, and disease.
