What's a bongo? Think antelope with stripes. Check out new calf at Jacksonville Zoo

The critically endangered eastern bongo species, a member of the antelope family native to Kenya, became one calf safer from extinction after a recent Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens birth.

The zoo's new female bongo calf has been named Kimani, which means strong one, honest one or child of a warrior in Swahili. Her parents are Shimba and Mickey, both 5.

"Shimba has experience in raising a calf and her care specialists were confident that she would do a great job," according to Charley Shepherd, senior mammal care specialist. "They typically give dams and calves at least a week to be together in holding so that the calf can bond and get used to following their mom around in smaller barn spaces before giving them access to the larger exhibit space."  

After her bonding week with mom, the calf made her public debut, joining the bongo herd in the zoo's Africa Loop habitat. A species of forest antelope, they're most likely seen under the bamboo, palm trees or along the boardwalk.

"She has already built a strong bond with [sister] Cayenne, and they can be seen playing around the exhibit throughout the day," Shepherd said.

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What's a bongo?

A chestnut brown color with 12 to 14 white horizontal stripes down their backs, bongos are the only antelope with spiraled horns, usually with one or one-and-a-half twists. The horns adorn both sexes, never shed and can grow up to 3 feet as the bongo ages.

Bongos can weigh from 460 to 890 pounds and stand up to 4½ feet at the shoulder, according to the zoo.

Bongos are the largest African forest antelope and are found throughout central and west Kenya. But the eastern bongo, also known as mountain bongo, is only found in a small, densely forested mountain region in central Kenya. There are as few as 140 left in their natural habitat, according to the zoo.

Threats include human encroachment on habitat, livestock disease, habitat destruction, overhunting and poaching.

Are there frequent bongo births at the zoo?

Kimani was the ninth eastern bongo calf born at the zoo in the last five years; some of those were relocated. Bongos and other zoo animals come and go based on breeding recommendations through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Bongo Species Survival Plan.

The current Jacksonville herd has five members.

In 2021, Kimani's father Mickey was the father of two eastern bongos born at the zoo over two months. They were the first offspring for their then-2-year-old respective mothers, Sienna and Shimba, and Mickey.

The new mothers were born at the Jacksonville Zoo in 2019. Mickey arrived the same year from Cape May County Zoo. 

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Bongos typically hang out together as a herd and, at the zoo, are only separated when the exhibit is cleaned.

"They are … given grain to reward them for shifting in when keepers call them over," Shepherd said. "When the cleaning of the exhibit is finished, we reunite the herd and they hang out together throughout the day and overnight, whether it be wading in the moat or ruminating in the shade."

Did the zoo know a calf was expected?

Keepers became aware Shimba was pregnant as they monitored behaviors between the male and females. Bongos have a 9½-month gestation period.

"They were able to go back into our records and pinpoint an approximate two-week window in which she should give birth based on the breeding behavior we witnessed," Shepherd said. "They … get the birth windows as close as possible so we can have all areas prepped for a new calf. With Kimani, Shimba gave birth within two days of her birth window beginning." 

At birth the calf weighed 37 pounds, smaller than the typical range of 40 to 55 pounds. But Kimani is "very healthy and spunky," she said. 

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Does the zoo support bongo conservation efforts?

Yes, including the nonprofit Bongo Surveillance Project, which deploys field teams that monitor illegal activity and protect eastern bongo habitats. The organization also places camera traps in those areas to get accurate information about the animals and their movements and shares that info with the Kenya-based National Recovery and Action Plan for the Mountain Bongo.

The zoo also supports the Florida-based Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, which is rebuilding the eastern bongo population by sending some individuals raised in Florida back to the wild.

"The Mountain Bongo Repatriation Project represents a rare milestone in wildlife conservation, aiming to restore a critically endangered flagship species to self-sustaining levels in the wild from captive U.S. stock," according to the foundation website. "The repatriated bongos are founders for a long-term breeding effort, with animals sent from the U.S. to Africa held in breeding groups gradually acclimated to the wild over future generations."

The zoo is at 370 Zoo Parkway in North Jacksonville. For hours, admission prices and other information, go to jacksonvillezoo.org.

bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109