Trail cam shows young female African antelope returned to Maasai Mau © Chester Zoo / Mountain Bongo Project
It’s World Bongo Day today, and scientists dedicated to their survival have shared new field camera images that prove these magnificent animals have reappeared in a region where they were thought to be extinct.
For more than half a decade, conservationists feared the wild mountain bongo population, detected in four isolated areas eight years ago, had shrunk to a tiny range in the Aberdare mountains in Kenya.
Now trail cam photographs show bongos exploring a remnant forest fragment in Maasai Mau, roughly 200 kilometers from the Aberdares population.
“The excitement in camp was unbelievable when we first looked through the photos,” said Oscar Dyer, Director of Operations for the Mountain Bongo Project (MBP).
“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.”
The image is the result of years of hard work by MBP rangers on the ground in one of Kenya’s most inaccessible forests, and comes at a key moment in bongo conversation.
A hi-tech AI survey carried out last year by England’s Chester Zoo, with the support of Kenyan wildlife officials, estimated only 28 bongos in the Aberdares stronghold, but MBP confirmed there could be 40 individuals—and the appearance of the Maasai Mau bongo brings renewed hope for the species.
Trail cam shows young male African antelope returned to Maasai Mau © Chester Zoo / Mountain Bongo Project
The mature male captured by the cameras was likely first identified back in 2018 by Chester Zoo’s Dr. Tommaso Sandri, a MBP Advisory Council member who suggested that if it has remained hidden for years then other bongos may also still be in the area.
That hope was borne out when cameras returned more images.
Markings analysis has now confirmed these show an additional young male and a young female have appeared in the region.
“This is huge news,” he said. “Unlike Aberdares, Maasai Mau is not a national park, and the reappearance of bongo may focus organizations on increasing broader protections.”
Bongos are the largest forest antelope in Africa, but their extreme rarity and shyness make them difficult to track, so it’s a testament to the persistence of the MBP rangers who are Maasai people that work in difficult and isolated conditions to monitor and protect it using their long-held knowledge about the local ecosystem.
Trail cam attached to tree catches rare African antelope in Maasai Mau – © MBP
Fortunately, there are about 900 bongos in zoos and sanctuaries like the one operated by the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (MKWC). The recent translocation of four European-born males from zoos will help preserve vital genetic diversity for the species in the Kenya sanctuary population.
“The Mau population represents a significant genetic pool for mountain bongos and it is therefore vital for long-term conservation,” said Robert Aruho, who heads the MKWC.
Reinforcement from bongos cared for by organizations like Chester Zoo and MKWC could provide a way forward, boosting the population to sustainable levels. Meanwhile, MBP continues to protect the bongos still roaming in the wild.
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Credits: Petr Topič / Safari Park Dvůr Králové
“The mountain bongo is not beyond saving, but it does need us to act together,” said MBP’s Director of Operations Oscar Dyer.
“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.”
Historically, bongos were affected by game hunting and collectors, but they are still affected by habitat destruction as a result of logging or farming.
They prefer areas with rich volcanic soil and a good water supply—the same type of land that is in demand for agriculture.
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“Their presence makes the forest more magical,” added Dr. Sandri, “and the world would be poorer for their loss.”
Celebrate World Bongo Day by donating to the Mountain Bongo Project, here.
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