Fresh efforts to cushion mountain bongo from climate change

Conservationists have developed a multi-agency approach to cushion the critically endangered mountain bongo antelopes from the effects of climate change.

The Mt Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, which hosts 69 such antelopes, has partnered with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and the community to support programmes to mitigate climate change.

The conservancy’s head of veterinary service, Dr Robert Aruho, yesterday said they chose the joint approach to restore the rare antelope that is on the verge of becoming extinct.

Dr Aruho told Nation.Africa that there are less than 100 mountain bongo antelopes in the wild, adding that climate change has led to their loss.

“If we continue with the efforts of breeding, rewilding the animals and restoring the environment through afforestation, the population of mountain bongo antelopes will continue rising,” Dr Aruho said.

“Conservation is done for and on behalf of the people of Kenya. Active engagement of the local community will guarantee the survival of this endangered antelope.”

The conservancy, located at the foot of Mt Kenya, has partnered with the local community to plant indigenous trees to restore the forest cover.

“We buy the seedlings from the community. When communities participate actively in restoring the environment, it gives them a sense of contribution and stewardship in ensuring that we do not go backwards in the ambitious steps that we are making,” he said.

Animal habitats

Some 3,000 community members have planted more than 35,000 indigenous tree species.

Dr Aruho noted that a prolonged drought and “too much” rain that comes in erratic cycles have affected the quality of wild animal habitats.

“Whenever there is too much drought, there is less food for the mountain bongo antelope. So, we are obliged to buy food to supplement their diet for survival. At the same time, too much rain leads to destruction of wildlife habitats,” he said.

“If action is not taken, then we will witness devastation of our wildlife and loss of species. Climate change, which is driven by human activity, is the biggest accelerator for the loss of a majority of species in the world.”

On March 9, wildlife conservation in Kenya received a major boost after two mountain bongo antelopes were reintroduced back to the wild to cushion the species from extinction.

Bongo antelopes

The historic event was held at the Mt Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, where the animals – Hillary, aged three, and Owingo, aged two and a half – were reintroduced to the wild.

“By 2050, we are targeting to have at least 1,000 bongo antelopes in Kenya. This is the most commendable project that has started towards realising that target by 2050,” said Najib Balala, the then Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary, at the event. 

“We are so far happy with the reproduction of bongo antelopes despite the fact that we got a big loss in 2019 because of heavy rains.”

In December 2020, Mr Balala led the launch of the Mawingu Mountain Bongo Sanctuary, with the KFS board licensing 800 acres of forest land on the slopes of Mt Kenya to be managed by the Mt Kenya Wildlife Conservancy.

The conservancy is envisaged to spearhead the rewilding of the bongos and to provide the National Bongo Task Force with antelopes for reintroduction into other indigenous habitats.

The mountain bongo is only found in the wild in a few mountain regions of central Kenya.

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