The road to Nanyuki cuts through open land, green grass, and goats and sheep lounging lazily in the morning sun. Nestled on the cool, green foothills of Mount Kenya, the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (MKWC) is home to an unlikely mix of rescued wildlife, including giraffes, rhinos, ostriches, hyenas and Egyptian geese. But it is one shy, chestnut-coated resident, the critically endangered mountain bongo, that draws us here at 9 am, the air sharp with cold despite the bright sunshine overhead.
At the heart of the conservancy lies a rescue and rehabilitation centre. Dorice Habwe Andetse, the Conservancy’s Resource Mobilisation Manager, says animals that can be treated are returned to the wild, while those too dependent on human care find a permanent home there.
“We rescue injured, stressed and problematic animals. Once they arrive, they are assessed by our team and returned to their natural habitats as soon as possible,” she says.
The conservancy also serves as a buffer zone between Mount Kenya Forest and the surrounding communities. “Without the conservancy, human settlements would likely have expanded further up the mountain,” says Habwe.
From the rehabilitation centre, we make our way to the McKeand Boma, a quarantine facility within the conservancy grounds. Here, Dr Robert Aruho, the conservancy’s head and resident veterinarian, introduces us to four mountain bongos under close observation.
The four male bongos arrived from the Czech Republic in April as part of ongoing efforts to boost the species’ recovery programme. Before entering, there is a strict protocol. Dr Aruho directs us to a disinfectant footbath at the entrance, a mixture of water, disinfectant, sawdust and foam, the first line of defence against disease transmission. “Something as simple as soil on a shoe can carry bacteria, parasites, fungal spores or disease-causing organisms. These animals are in quarantine, and we must minimise every possible risk,” he explains.
The four males, BON64, Mau, Fitz and Kudu, move cautiously within the enclosure, their chestnut coats and striking white stripes standing out against the green sawdust. Dr Aruho reminds us to keep our voices low. “These animals have always been seen by the three of us at any given time. If more than seven people enter, they may become frightened. When we go in, we keep silent.”
The bongos were sourced from different European institutions under the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria breeding programme. BON64 came from Denmark’s Givskud Zoo, while Kudu arrived from Berlin Zoo, both shipped through the Czech Republic." These are very vital members who have joined our breeding programme because they bring valuable genes that we have been looking for. So far, the animals are settling in well,” says Dr Aruho.
Africa’s largest forest antelope, the mountain bongo, is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Fewer than 60 to 100 individuals are estimated to remain in the wild, scattered across isolated forest ecosystems such as Mount Kenya, the Aberdares and Eburu. According to the latest KWS census, Kenya has about 176 mountain bongos, with 104 under the care of MKWC. “The mountain bongo lives in high-altitude forests. They need good water and fresh vegetation because they are browsers. All this is abundant at an altitude of between 2,000 and 2,200 metres above sea level, which makes Mount Kenya a very suitable habitat,” says Dr Aruho.
Reviving the species has not been easy. “Reviving the mountain bongo population in Kenya has been quite an uphill task because the numbers remaining in the Aberdares are quite low, making natural population recovery difficult,” he says.
Animals born at the conservancy are gradually transitioned to the Mawingu Mountain Bongo Sanctuary, a 776-acre protected forest within the Mount Kenya ecosystem managed in partnership with the Kenya Forest Service. The project aligns with Kenya’s broader conservation strategy, which aims to grow the mountain bongo population to at least 750 individuals by 2075. “We breed these animals and transition them to free-living conditions in the forest. We breed, we rewild, and then reinforce existing populations while establishing new ones in areas where the bongo once occurred. Around 70 per cent of our population is female,” says Dr Aruho.
For Christine Gichohi, one of the conservancy’s animal keepers, caring for the four newly arrived bongos extends far beyond feeding them. “We check on them 24 hours a day. At 6 am, we assess how they slept, their health status, whether their faecal matter is normal and whether their behaviour is normal.”
The keepers know each animal’s habits intimately. Any deviation from routine can signal a problem. “All four bongos have different behaviours. For example, Bon is very shy. If he behaves the way he normally does, I know he is fine. If he starts acting differently, then I know something is wrong.”
Signs such as diarrhoea, drooping ears or lethargy immediately raise concern. “If a bongo is doing something different from what it does every day, you know it is not okay. We inform the vets, and they come and check on the animals.”
In the company of wildlife keeper Eunice Gikonyo, we make our way to Mid Forest 2, one of the paddocks holding a breeding herd. Mid Forest 2 currently holds 13 bongos: one dominant male, six females and six calves. “Bongos are like children. They are happy sometimes and sad sometimes. When they are happy, they run around the paddock. When they are sad, they just stay there.”
Andrew Mulani, the Mountain Bongo Programme Assistant, oversees the breeding and rewilding project. “When we are rewilding mountain bongos, we look for shy and aggressive browsers, as well as genetically distant animals. We have the mountain bongo studbook, which guides us on who is related to whom, so that we do not group genetically related animals.”
Animals selected for rewilding must also demonstrate behaviours necessary for survival in the wild. “In the sanctuary, there are far more challenges than in the paddocks. We have predators such as leopards, which are the apex predators of mountain bongos. So we need an animal that is somewhat aggressive and can defend calves from predation.”
Wildlife officer Kibet Ng’eno says bongo numbers have grown from about 42 individuals in 2021 to 105 today. “The increase is due to continuous monitoring, care and intervention when needed.” Disease remains a major threat. Tick-borne infections and internal parasites, especially during the rainy season, are common concerns. Another challenge is preparing animals raised under human care for life in the wild. “We are starting with animals that have been under human care, so reducing their dependency on people is a challenge. Then there is their introduction to a wild environment, where they encounter ticks, diseases and other conditions they have never experienced before.”
Community involvement has been equally vital. The quarantine facility was built almost entirely by women from surrounding communities. “We have a very good relationship with the community because we have a strong awareness programme,” says Dr Aruho. “The bongo is only found in the wild in Kenya. If Kenya lost its bongos, the species would become extinct in the wild. The community now understands that this is truly Kenya’s heritage, which we need to protect together.”
Despite mounting pressures from a growing human population and climate change, introducing invasive species into the ecosystem, Dr Aruho remains hopeful. “Tourism has the potential to create more jobs than almost any other industry. Wildlife is so vital that we cannot separate it from the economic development we want as a country.”
