Meru Bongo and Rhino Conservation Trust has secured a license to import 25 bongos from the U.S. to restore the mountain bongo population in Mt. Kenya Forest.
The trust aims to engage communities in eco-tourism and sustainable agriculture to leverage biodiversity protection.
Speaking after inspecting the progress in the building of the Bongo Bomas and Paddocks at the sanctuary in the Ntirimiti area, which is 95 percent complete, The Trust patron, who is also Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza, said the sanctuary predator-proof perimeter fence of over 25 acres of Bongo breeding area was also almost complete.
Previously, the wild Bongo was widely distributed across Mt. Kenya, the Aberdares, Mau, Eburru Forest and their environs. Today, the population has significantly declined to less than 100 animals due to habitat degradation, forest fragmentation, poaching and other human-related activities.
MBRCT Chairman, Mr. John Kinoti said that the Mountain Bongo has even disappeared from Mt. Kenya, which was once the animal’s home.
“This project aims to restore the wild Mt. Kenya population, engage local communities in eco-tourism and eco[1]friendly sustainable agriculture and leverage protection for biodiversity across the Mt. Kenya ecosystem,” he said, adding that the initiative will be carried out in stages, with Bongos being introduced into the sanctuary during the first phase and Black rhinos introduced in the second.
Once the Bongos arrive from America, he added, they will be placed in spacious, specially built, fence-protected enclosures where they will be closely observed to ensure their acclimation.
The new sanctuary enables Bongo groups to breed and thrive, allowing future generations to be re- wilded into Mt. Kenya’s forest ecosystem.