Mountain bongo antelope conservation received a breakthrough when trail cameras captured critically endangered bongos in Kenya’s Maasai Mau forest, where the species was thought locally extinct.
For more than half a decade, conservationists feared wild mountain bongo populations detected in four isolated areas eight years ago had shrunk to a tiny range in Kenya’s Aberdare mountains. The world’s largest forest antelope, shy, elusive, and numbering fewer than 40 in the wild, appeared to be vanishing from landscapes it once roamed freely.
Trail camera photographs shared to mark World Bongo Day on May 31 shattered that assumption. Images show bongos exploring a remnant forest fragment in Maasai Mau, roughly 200 kilometers from the Aberdares population. Markings analysis confirmed three individuals: a mature male likely first identified in 2018, an additional young male, and a young female, all appearing in the region.
The Mountain Bongo Project rangers, Okiek and Maasai people who draw on long-held knowledge of the local ecosystem, captured the images after years of monitoring in one of Kenya’s most inaccessible forests.
“The excitement in camp was unbelievable when we first looked through the photos,” said Oscar Dyer, Director of Operations at MBP. “This image is the result of years of hard work by our rangers on the ground. 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 rediscovery carries significance beyond individual sightings. Unlike Aberdares, Maasai Mau lacks national park protections. The reappearance of bongos could focus organizations on increasing broader protections for the forest, which also shelters at-risk species, including yellow-backed duiker and giant pangolin. MBP rangers found signs of illegal logging as close as two kilometers from where the male bongo was photographed.
Mountain bongo antelope conservation efforts received critical data from a high-tech survey carried out in 2025 by Chester Zoo, following guidance from MBP, with support from Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy and the Kenya Wildlife Service. The AI survey results, made public for the first time, showed only 28 individuals in the Aberdares stronghold.
“It’s difficult to put a finger on why numbers aren’t increasing,” explained Stuart Nixon, Chester Zoo’s Regional Field Programme Senior Manager for Africa. “Surveys show there are habitats they could expand into. Perhaps their numbers are so low that a natural level of predation is depressing the population. Even when only a few calves are taken by predators, there aren’t enough left to let the group grow.”
Chester Zoo experts spent more than 11 years coordinating a breeding program across European conservation zoos. Approximately 900 bongos live in zoos and sanctuaries, including the one operated by Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, which reached a milestone of 100 mountain bongos bred in human care.
Mountain bongo antelope conservation advanced with the recent translocation of four European-born males, coordinated by Chester Zoo, to reinforce the sanctuary population in Kenya. The males were selected based on age, health, and genetics as part of an active rewilding effort centered on Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy. The repatriation represented a collaboration among the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, the Kenya Wildlife Service, and the conservancy.
Chester Zoo coordinated the translocation of four European-born male bongos to Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, reaching 100 mountain bongos bred in human care, while an AI-powered 2025 survey revealed only 28 individuals in Aberdares stronghold, prompting new decade-long conservation action plan coordinating field rangers, breeding programs, sanctuaries, and Kenya Wildlife Service. Photo courtesy of Chester Zoo.
Robert Aruho, head of Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, emphasized the Maasai Mau population’s broader significance. “The Mau population represents a significant genetic pool for mountain bongos, and it is therefore vital for long-term conservation,” Aruho stated, underlining why protecting wild populations preserves genetic diversity that captive breeding alone cannot replicate.
Experts drawing on genetic studies say ex situ breeding and release projects should dovetail with in situ conservation efforts to establish genetically sustainable wild populations. Chester Zoo supports both approaches, providing technical support and data analysis for MBP while caring for bongos on-site and coordinating breeding across European zoos.
Historically, bongos suffered from game hunting and collection for private ownership. Habitat destruction and agricultural expansion continue to threaten remaining populations. Bongos prefer areas with rich volcanic soil and good water supply, placing them in direct competition with farming interests for the most productive land.
“I believe the world would be poorer for their loss,” said Tommaso Sandri, Chester Zoo conservationist and MBP Advisory Council member. “Their presence makes the forest more magical. This is a problem caused by people, and we need people to fix it.”
Sandri leads the drafting of a new mountain bongo antelope conservation action plan, drawing together various organizations involved in the care and conservation of mountain bongos. The plan sets key priorities and actions over the next decade, coordinating efforts between field rangers, breeding programs, sanctuaries, and wildlife authorities.
The discovery that bongos persisted undetected in Maasai Mau for years suggests additional populations may survive in unexplored forest fragments across Kenya. If one mature male remained hidden since 2018, other individuals could inhabit remote areas where monitoring has not yet reached.
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“The mountain bongo is not beyond saving, but it does need us to act together,” Dyer emphasized. “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.”
Mountain bongo antelope conservation momentum grows as organizations align field protection, genetic management, breeding programs, and community-based monitoring. The trail camera images from Maasai Mau demonstrate that even for species balanced on the brink of extinction, persistence, indigenous knowledge, and collaborative action can reveal possibilities where only loss was expected.
