Rare antelopes to be flown from US in bid to boost their numbers

Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza during a groundbreaking for the new mountain bongo and black rhino sanctuary in Mt Kenya Forest at Buuri, Meru. [File, Standard]

Kamau and Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza led stakeholders to unveil a new sanctuary to host the bongos and black rhinos at Mucheene-Ntirimiti-Marania area early this year.

It is being spearheaded by the Meru Bongo and Rhino Conservation Trust in partnership with KFS, KWS, Lewa Conservancy, Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, Florida International University's Tropical Conservation Institute and local community forest associations.

"We want to build a sanctuary that will facilitate us to host and breed the bongo, a critically endangered species, in the first phase. The second phase will involve the black rhino. It is a plan which will the recovery of the endangered species," said the trust's chairman John Kinoti from Lewa Conservancy.

He said the bongos, expected in November, will live in a section of 250 acres of the forest issued by KFS.

"We are going to start with 25 bongos, 20 of them female, so that when they come they will multiply. There are only 99 bongos left in Kenya, meaning if we do not put in the efforts to breed more future generations will not see this species," Kinoti said.

Kawira said the private-public partnership will boost tourism.

"This project will bring development to our people in terms of education, water, health, tourism among many other benefits," she said.

Though the bongos had been scheduled to be flown in late last year, there were delays in logistics and obtaining relevant special use licences. Once they breed, the first offspring will be named 'Kawira' if it is female and 'Kamau', if it is male!