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17 mountain bongos make epic return to Kenya from the US

Dalbit, a Mountain Bongo elopes into the wild at 776-acre Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (MKWC) during its rewilding process, May 7, 2024. The antelope has been critically endangered due to trophy hunting, live trade, poaching, disease (rinderpest), and habitat loss of and fragmentation. The total population is expected to reach 106 individuals by 2025. [Mose Sammy, Standard]

At 9.10pm on Sunday, a DHL flight from Florida, USA, touched down on Kenyan soil, its arrival eagerly awaited. As expected, the passengers disembarked.

But the passengers were far from typical travellers – they were the rare mountain bongos, making an extraordinary 7,900-mile journey to reclaim their homeland in the heart of Kenya.