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DHL moves Florida-bred bongos to new life in Kenya

[ March 27, 2025   //   ]

DHL Express has moved 17 mountain bongo antelopes from the US to Kenya for animal charity Tusk.

The critically endangered animals came from the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation in Florida to a sanctuary on the slopes of Mount Kenya, run by the Meru Bongo and Rhino Conservation Trust. The bongos were bred in Florida but are on the verge of extinction in the wild with only some 100 remaining due to poaching, forest degradation and habitat fragmentation.

The full herd had to be transported together, so DHL provided a dedicated aircraft which carried the antelopes 8,223 miles from Palm Beach International Airport (Florida) to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya.

They were transported in custom-built crates, alongside 6 tonnes of pelleted feed and 3 specialist animal care staff including a veterinarian and two bongo specialists from the US. 

The 12 females and five males will remain in paddocks to safely breed but the offspring will then slowly be reintroduced into Mount Kenya’s forest ecosystem, from which they have been absent for over 40 years.

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