IUCN Conservation Status –
Least Concern
Extinct In The Wild
Class: Mammals
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Paignton Zoo is home to two eastern mountain bongos: female and Ada and male Bowie.
One of the largest forest antelopes, the eastern mountain bongo can today only be found in a remote mountainous area of central Kenya.
They are browsers that eat a range of leaves, plants, grasses and fungi.
Interesting facts!
- Bongos are often found in small groups of females, led by one dominant male. Both females and males of this species have the large, spiral horns.
- The beautiful chestnut-red colour coat of the bongo also has white vertical stripes, which are said to help with camouflage.
- After a gestation period of around 9 months, a female gives birth to a single calf.
Conservation
There are thought to be fewer than 150 eastern bongo left in the wild today. The biggest threats to them are hunting and the destruction of their habitat.
Our bongos are involved in the EAZA ex-situ breeding programme for this Critically Endangered species.