03/03/2026
17 critically endangered mountain bongo antelopes boarded a DHL Express plane at Palm Beach International Airport last year. Bound for Kenya, they included 5 males and 12 females, some pregnant. More than cargo, these bongos are the last, best hope for their species.
They know nothing of the statistics — that fewer than 100 of their kind remain in the wild — or the years of planning that led to this moment. But for FIU research professor Paul Reillo, he knows these bongos represent a second chance. Reillo is director of FIU’s Tropical Conservation Institute and founding director of the nonprofit Rare Species Conservatory Foundation (RSCF), which operates the facility where the 17 bongos were raised. The RSCF team includes FIU alumnus Matt Morris, operations director and mountain bongo team lead. The largest forest antelope native only to Kenya, the bongo has experienced a devastating population decline in the past 80 years. They are listed by as critically endangered. The 17 bongos successfully made their journey from Florida to a sanctuary on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. They are thriving. The work is in collaboration with the Meru County Government, Ntimaka and Kamulu Community Forest Associations, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Forest Service and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. The Meru Bongo and Rhino Conservation Trust oversees the sanctuary. The plan is to send more bongos in the coming year to aid in rebuilding the population.
