Critically endangered antelopes return to Kenya from Czech zoo
NAIROBI, Kenya– Four critically endangered mountain bongos have arrived in Kenya en route to their native forests after years spent in the care of a zoo in the Czech Republic.
Bongos, rare antelopes known for their striking stripes, have been declared critically endangered due to poaching and disease. There are fewer than 100 mountain bongos left in the wild, according to the Kenyan government. Many were sent to Europe in the 1980s after a major outbreak of rinderpest killed thousands.
The four returnees arrived from Dvur Kralove Zoo packed in wooden crates at Kenya’s main airport aboard a KLM cargo flight and were received by the country’s Prime Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Tourism Minister Rebecca Miano, who hailed it as a “return to the majestic bongos”.
This is the third such return in recent years, the last being in February 2025. After a period of quarantine and acclimatization, the bongos will be sent to the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, home to 102 bongos, for a stay before being released into the wild.
The conservancy is managing a national recovery and action plan for the mountain bongo in collaboration with the government and plans to use the four new bongos to crossbreed and strengthen the gene pool.
Jahawi and Elke Bertolli, Kenya-raised nature explorers and filmmakers, told The Associated Press that the new bongos will provide genetic variation critical to their conservation, adding that the species plays a key role in protecting forests that are vital to Kenya’s water supply.
Czech Ambassador Nicol Adamcova said the relocation reflects a long-standing conservation partnership between the Czech Republic and Kenya and a shared commitment to protecting endangered species.
Mudavadi said such steps show what can be achieved when policy, science and collaboration come together in pursuit of a common conservation goal.
“I commend all stakeholders involved and assure you of the government’s unwavering support to strengthen conservation frameworks and ensure that Kenya’s biodiversity continues to thrive,” he said.
Miano said introducing genetically diverse bongos is a crucial step in strengthening the species’ reproductive resilience.
