Eight Hundred Acre Sanctuary To Reclaim The Mountain Bongo Antelopes
Updated on: Dec 15, 2020
Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy seats in the County of Laikipia and Nyeri, and is home to fifty Mountain Bongo antelopes. Three years ago, these antelopes were only eighteen and only increased to fifty after special protection.
In June this year, Cabinet Secretary in charge of Tourism Najib Balala commenced National Recovery and Action Plan for Mountain Bongo 2019-2023. These efforts were, are, geared toward reclaiming the antelopes and re-wilding them back to the forests.
Yesterday, in partnership with Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Wildlife Service, and Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, CS Balala commenced a fence that will round 800-acre sanctuary for these precious animals.
Officiating the ceremony, CS Tourism Najib Balala noted that in the last one year, there has been no case of rhino killing. He noted that anti-poaching fights have yielded fruits and the same efforts will be invested to reclaim Mountain Bongo antelopes.
Laikipia being a tourism destination, Deputy Governor, in the event, noted that Laikipia and Kenya as country reaps heavily from wildlife, saying that Kenyans can only reciprocate that by protecting the environment and the wildlife.
"We need to intensify community participation in wildlife conservation and protection especially to children who will be the custodian of that heritage tomorrow," the DG implored
"Not long ago, these antelopes were in all our bushes," Humphrey Kariuki, the patron of Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, observed. He reminisced that when he was a boy, these antelopes were so many, a nuisance to their shamba then, not anymore.
According to Kenya Wildlife Service KWS, the Mountain Bongos original habitat was in Ragati, Aberdare forest, Mau and in Eburu. The efforts of reclaiming them therefore is to re-wild them back to their original homes.
In June this year, Cabinet Secretary in charge of Tourism Najib Balala commenced National Recovery and Action Plan for Mountain Bongo 2019-2023. These efforts were, are, geared toward reclaiming the antelopes and re-wilding them back to the forests.
Yesterday, in partnership with Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Wildlife Service, and Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, CS Balala commenced a fence that will round 800-acre sanctuary for these precious animals.
Officiating the ceremony, CS Tourism Najib Balala noted that in the last one year, there has been no case of rhino killing. He noted that anti-poaching fights have yielded fruits and the same efforts will be invested to reclaim Mountain Bongo antelopes.
Laikipia being a tourism destination, Deputy Governor, in the event, noted that Laikipia and Kenya as country reaps heavily from wildlife, saying that Kenyans can only reciprocate that by protecting the environment and the wildlife.
"We need to intensify community participation in wildlife conservation and protection especially to children who will be the custodian of that heritage tomorrow," the DG implored
"Not long ago, these antelopes were in all our bushes," Humphrey Kariuki, the patron of Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, observed. He reminisced that when he was a boy, these antelopes were so many, a nuisance to their shamba then, not anymore.
According to Kenya Wildlife Service KWS, the Mountain Bongos original habitat was in Ragati, Aberdare forest, Mau and in Eburu. The efforts of reclaiming them therefore is to re-wild them back to their original homes.
