Two of the world´s most beautiful antelopes were born in Prague Zoo

The contrasting chestnut coat with white stripes and spots helps mountain bongos hide in dense undergrowth. Rayli’s newborn calf. Photo by Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo

“Keeping mountain bongos in human care is absolutely essential for their conservation in the wild,” explains Miroslav Bobek, director of the Prague Zoo. “Individuals bred in zoos have laid the foundation for a population that is gradually getting used to life in the wild in central Kenya. There are plans to continue strengthening this population from European stock in the future. I am extremely pleased that thanks to the activity of its breeders, the Prague Zoo is also involved in this project.”

The funds earned by Prague Zoo breeders through the organization of entertainment programmes are spent for example on camera traps, which are used to monitor individuals released into large game preserves, or for planting forest cover in places where mountain bongos should be returned in the future.

Prague Zoo has been breeding these rarest of the forest-dwelling antelopes since 1988, and the newborn males are its 58th and 59th. Their mothers are Dafne and Rayli, their father is Mau.
“Although neither of the mothers were giving birth for the first time, we monitored them by camera just to make sure. Both births were without complications. The females began to dry their young immediately after birth by careful licking and guided them to the udder. The calves successfully stood up within an hour and drank the colostrum,” says Lucie Křížová, a long-time breeder of mountain bongos.

Those interested in the mountain bongos can get to know them through our unique entertainment programmes. The programme A Frolic with the Antelopes also takes participants to the breeding facilities. The shorter Bongo Feeding programme runs daily from May to September.

The older calf, born to Dafne, curiously explores the enclosure. Photo by Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo