‘THE QUEST TO SAVE THE MOUNTAIN BONGO’
BONGO SURVEILLANCE
In 1975 the Kenya Game Dept. made a survey of possible Bongo numbers on the Aberdare range of central Kenya, and came up with an estimate of 500 animals. From that time to the end of 1988 they were seen occasionally whilst driving round the Park but mostly from the Ark Lodge on the salt lick at night or in the early hours of the morning. At the same time several outfitters captured specimens that were sent to zoos and Parks in the US. and UK; the original stock of the Bongo surviving today in those countries. From the close of 1988 it appeared that for one reason or another they had died out, as there were no further reported sightings until 2003 when a Park Ranger took a photograph of one mostly covered by thick foliage. And this only after an awareness of their existence through the setting up of a special ‘Bongo Surveillance Team.’
Having spent most of my life in the environs of Mt Kenya and the Aberdares, and many months tracking down these elusive animals, I was asked by the Senior Warden of the Park at the time, Daniel Onsombe, if I thought there were any left, and what could be done to find out? Thus in 2003 in conjunction with ‘The Kenya Wildlife Services’ KWS, I set up a small team of 6 men, together with a Ranger, and equipped them to spend 2-3 weeks at a time in the depths of the forest. Financed by I.F.A.W., Care for the Wild, and a number of individuals specifically Halvor Astrup, we bought special equipment including GPSs and Satellite telephones together with light weight tentage, sleeping, and rain gear.
Most of the good old trackers were either too old or long gone by this time, but I managed to track down Peter Mwangi who had been employed in the 70’s to actually catch these animals. Together we got a team together and Mwangi led them into the forest systematically going up and down the ridges until within 2 years we had covered pretty well the whole of the eastern Aberdares from north to south. Each time signs of Bongo were found a GPS reading was taken and message sent to me via satellite whence I was able to transfer the findings to a map, and so get an idea of numbers and areas in which they moved and lay up. From this I assessed that there were possibly 5 distinct groups with males that ranged far and wide between them, and that in total there may be from 80- 100 animals. What we also found was that in much of the far-reaching areas, unapproached by regular patrols, the poaching with snares, dogs, and the destruction of the forest was rampant. Although we were not equipped to deal with these situations, messages were relayed to me and I was able to pin point areas and have the KWS move in to capture the culprits. With so much of the findings guesswork, we could not know for instance whether we may have counted the same individual in different areas over again, and so I thought a more scientific approach was required.
Thus Lyndon Estes joined us, a student from Virginia University doing his PhD on Bongo feeds and environs and sponsored by ‘The Rare Species Conservatory Foundation.’ Besides more finance, Lyndon brought more sophisticated equipment in the way of GPS map plotting, and gave us scope to expand operations with an extra team. Together we decided that the way forward for more accuracy would be to collect dung samples for eventual DNA extraction in order to ‘finger print’ individuals as well as determining more accurate numbers and their genetic status. And so 2005 saw us going over all the areas where we had found Bongo signs, and joined by Lyndon, the teams have collected some 150 specimens to date, stored in tubes with ethanol ready for the extraction
In late 2005, people now fired with interest brought news of the existence of Bongo, not only on the Mau and southern Mt Kenya, but Eburru as well. So teams were dispatched for sorties in the three areas and indeed their existence verified in all, and a number of samples taken from each. Unlike the Aberdares these areas, and in particular Eburru, are completely unprotected with human interference and the burning of charcoal encroaching by the day. The surveillance teams however are determined to persevere with the Bongo protection in these areas as funds become available, and help Government with long-term policies to protect them however.
In Feb 2006 Lyndon returned from a spell in the US bringing with him a remote ‘trap camera’ working over 24 hours and taking pictures of moving objects every 30 seconds, or as otherwise set up. This has now been used on selected salt licks with stunning results. The very first picture was of a Bongo bull taken at 10.30 at night. Next a female and her calf were caught in daylight, and finally at least 9 different animals in a group at night. But these out of some 2000 pictures in total ranging from elephant to buffalo, giant forest hog, bushbuck and all.
This has given the teams an extra boost to keep the surveillance operating. Funds are more or less in place through the ‘Rare Species Conservatory Foundation’ and ‘The African Fund for Endangered Wildlife’ to extract and work on the DNA. Negotiations are in process with Michael Bruford of Cardiff University, UK. to do this work together with a Kenyan student.
To summarise then, the DNA results will indicate the best way forward for the future management of these animals. The Aberdare lot need continued surveillance for their safety whilst much more surveillance is required in all the three other areas. And indeed there could be yet a fourth area to probe, The Cherenganis of western Kenya.
Any support will be much appreciated. Funds can be accepted through any of the listed organisations and will be recognised by personal contact and up-dates on our website. Work and money will be required for a long term yet to ensure the Bongo’s future through surveillance and awareness, and to aid and assist KWS in their efforts to protect not only the Bongo but also its habitat and environ.
Mike Prettejohn, project manager, Bongo Surveillance in conjunction with KWS.
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