NAIROBI, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Wildlife conservationists have renewed calls for protection of the endangered Mountain Bongo Antelope that is at risk of extinction.
Donald Bunge, Conservancy Manager at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (MKWC), said in a commentary published on Thursday in the Standard newspaper that the population of the antelope in the wild has dipped in the past 50 years primarily due to unrestricted hunting, poaching, loss of habitat, illegal logging in forest and diseases such as rinderpest which is thought to have drastically cut their numbers in the 1890s and early 1900s.
"We are calling on likeminded Kenyans to join the conservation cause so that we can save the Mountain Bongo Antelope that is facing extinction. No small effort goes to waste; it all counts when we come together," Bunge said.
Considered the most beautiful antelope, Bongos are only found in their natural habitat, and there are approximately 100 of them left in the wild.
Presently, MKWC holds the world's largest herd of Mountain Bongo now totaling 72, on 130 acres divided into 14 paddocks, allowing the separation of incompatible breeding groups in the conservancy.
The conservancy runs a rehabilitation program that breeds mountain bongos for reintroduction into their natural habitat.
It is the only conservancy in the world, whose program is undertaken in a semi wild environment.
The antelope species is now listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Bunge said that efforts towards the rehabilitation of the Mountain Bongo began in earnest over ten years ago when a repatriation and breeding program began in 2004 when 13 zoos and conservation organizations in the United States partnered with the Kenya Wildlife Service and UN among others to start repopulating the critically endangered antelope.
He noted that one month ago, global efforts towards the survival of the critically endangered antelope, received a boost following four births at the MKWC.
"The births have renewed hope for the survival of the rare Mountain Bongo Antelope whose population is below the threshold of 250 mature individuals required to a make a genetically stable population," Conservancy Manager said.
He added that partnerships with the National Bongo Task force, the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Kenya Forestry Service have also boosted the steady progress being made to raise the population of the Mountain Bongo.
Bunge added that beyond government agencies, the bigger responsibility for conservation lies with the citizens.
"Human activities have over the years interfered with the animals' natural habitats and hampered conservation. Steady population growth is putting pressure on some of Kenya's pristine wild habitats," he said.
