The newly born Mountain Bongo calf/MKWC

At the foot of Mount Kenya, where
mist clings to ancient trees and the forest hums with life, a quiet but
extraordinary milestone has been reached.

The
Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy has welcomed the birth of its 100th
Mountain Bongo — a moment year in the making, and one rich with
meaning.

“After
years of care, patience and dedication, we are so happy to share that the 100th
Mountain Bongo has been born,” the conservancy announced.

“This
is not just another birth. It’s hope. It’s proof that our efforts matter and the
future of this species is still possible.”

Located
just 10km from Nanyuki town, the conservancy sits within the wider Mount Kenya
forest ecosystem, a sanctuary where conservation is both a science and a
long-term promise.

Its
work revolves around three core programmes: breeding and rewilding the
critically endangered Mountain Bongo, caring for orphaned wildlife, and
educating communities about conservation.

Home
to about 1,200 animals across 28 species, the conservancy has become a lifeline
for the Mountain Bongo — a striking forest antelope once widespread across the
Aberdare ranges, Mount Kenya, the Cherangany Hills and the Mau Forest Complex.

Today,
only small, fragmented populations remain, mainly in the Aberdares and the Maasai
Mau.

The
decline has been steep and devastating. For years, estimates placed the wild
population at fewer than 100 individuals. Yet recent data offers cautious
optimism.

Kenya’s
2021 national wildlife census recorded 150 Mountain Bongos, a figure that rose
to 176 in the 2025 census — a modest increase, but one that signals progress.

That
progress is anchored in deliberate action. In 2003, Kenya launched a Bongo
repatriation programme aimed at rebuilding the species through captive breeding
in a natural setting.

The
Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy became central to this vision. By last year,
its captive herd had grown from 54 animals in 2021 to 93 — a steady climb
shaped by careful management and long-term commitment.

A
major boost came in February last year, when 17 Mountain Bongos — 12 females
and five males — were repatriated from the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation
in Florida, US.

They
were released into the Marania and Mucheene Sanctuary in Meru county, part of a
broader effort to establish a breeding and rewilding centre capable of
restocking Kenya’s forests.

For
now, the animals remain in protected enclosures as preparations continue for
their eventual release into the wild — a critical step towards restoring
self-sustaining populations in their native habitats.

The
work does not stop with breeding alone. Kenya has developed a National Recovery
and Action Plan for the Mountain Bongo, with the first phase running from 2019
-23, and a second plan (2026–30) now in preparation.

The
long-term goal is ambitious: to secure a national population of at least 730
individuals over the next 50 years.

Alongside
these efforts, the government, through the Kenya Wildlife Service, has fenced
key forest ecosystems including the Aberdare, Mount Kenya and Eburu forests, tightened
anti-poaching and anti-logging enforcement and invested in modern monitoring
technologies such as camera traps.

Equally
important are community-based conservation and education programmes, helping
people living alongside these forests understand that the survival of the
Mountain Bongo is inseparable from the health of the ecosystem itself.

In
the birth of one calf — the 100th — lies a broader story: of resilience,
collaboration and the slow, patient work of restoring what was nearly lost.

In
the shadows of Mount Kenya, hope has taken a tangible form, standing quietly on
four slender legs.