Also known as mountain bongos, they are found only in the mountainous forests of central Kenya. Unlike common bongos found throughout West Africa, eastern bongos are rare and critically endangered.
The life of an Eastern bongo
Eastern bongos grow up to 4 ½ feet high and up to eight feet long. Females weigh up to 560 pounds while males can weight up to 900 pounds. They live up to 20 years in human care, while their lifespan in the wild is unknown. They are the largest and heaviest species of forest-dwelling antelope.
After mating, females give birth to a single calf within nine to 9 ½ months. Mothers hide their calves in thick vegetation to conceal them from predators. They check on the calves regularly to feed and protect them. After about six months, calves are ready to join a herd. Females and young eastern bongos will gather in groups of 10 to 20. Males become solitary once they reach adulthood.
Eastern bongos are herbivores that eat fruits and a variety of vegetation including shrubs, bamboo, bark and herbs. They also eat roots they dig up with their large horns. They can live at elevations of nearly 13,000 feet. Eastern bongos are fast runners. They sprint through forests with their heads up and their horns against their backs to keep from getting caught on tree branches and bushes. They can jump as high as eight feet.
Young eastern bongos face predators like pythons, hyenas and leopards. Lions sometimes prey on adult eastern bongos. Humans are the eastern bongo’s biggest threat.
Eastern bongo conservation
Due to habitat loss, human encroachment and illegal hunting, eastern bongos are critically endangered. Less than 200 eastern bongos are estimated to live in the wild today.
Eastern bongos at the zoo
Located in the Africa area.
