Chester Zoo’s Bongo Initiative
Mountain bongo are critically endangered, with fewer than 50 still living in the wild in Kenya. Their cousins, the lowland bongo, are classified as Near Threatened. We are working with organisations in Kenya, Uganda and Europe to protect both species, and reintroduce Mountain bongos to the wild.
Two species under threat
The critically endangered Mountain bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) faces a dire situation, with fewer than 50 wild individuals remaining in Kenya, and around 700 individuals in human care around the world.
In contrast, the lowland bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus) found throughout the Congo basin forests of Central Africa is classified as Near Threatened, with fewer than 30,000 individuals in the wild (and none in captivity). Its status is little known, and it faces severe threats from hunting and habitat loss.
We carried out surveys in Uganda's Semuliki National Park, documenting the presence of lowland bongo populations in the country for the first time and providing essential demographic data.
It's clear both lowland and mountain bongo are in need of focused conservation efforts.
Planning and Studying
In 2022, Chester Zoo’s Africa Field Programme launched a bongo-focused field initiative to integrate in-situ and ex-situ conservation efforts for both Mountain and lowland bongos.
Initially this focussed on remote assessments of habitat in Kenya and Uganda and population level assessments on the Semuliki lowland bongo population.
In 2023, Chester Zoo, in collaboration with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, conducted the first-ever camera trap study in Mt Elgon National Park, a former bongo range believed extinct since the 1930s.
While no bongos were found, the habitat was deemed suitable for future reintroductions, highlighting the importance of ongoing habitat assessments and conservation planning.
Pioneering Conservation Technology
In late 2023 and into 2024 Chester Zoo, in partnership with the Conservation AI team at Liverpool John Moores University, developed the world’s first AI-powered auto-detection and real-time alert system for monitoring free ranging bongos.
This system was refined through testing with cameras installed at Chester Zoo's bongo holding area, enhancing the model's accuracy and reliability.
Since March 2024, Chester Zoo’s bongo project coordinator, Tommy Sandri, has been working in close collaboration with researchers at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy to trial AI-enhanced trail cameras.
These innovative systems are being used to monitor captive-bred bongo as they are gradually rewilded in the Mawingu Sanctuary, with the ultimate goal of strengthening and bolstering the wild population through future releases. The AI technology will allow the team to track the health, behaviour, and movements of individual bongos once they are released into the wild
As it develops, this technology will help us identify injured bongos and threats to the species, allowing rangers on the ground to protect the population even more effectively.
A Future for the Bongo
Ultimately, we want to strengthen bongo populations in the wild.
As EEP coordinator for Mountain Bongo, Chester Zoo is facilitating the translocation of ten European zoo-born Mountain bongos to the Mawingu Bongo Sanctuary at Mount Kenya Game Ranch.
This initiative aims to enhance genetic diversity and population stability, critical for the species' long-term survival ahead of full rerelease into the wild.
We work in collaboration with key organizations, including the Kenya Wildlife Service, Bongo Surveillance Project, Uganda Wildlife Authority, Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, and the IUCN Antelope Specialist Group to gather information and data for lowland and Mountain bongo status assessments, contribute to IUCN Red Listing, and conduct genetic studies to explore relationships between lowland and mountain bongos.
Through coordinated conservation actions, habitat protection, and advanced monitoring technologies, we can secure the future of these magnificent animals.
