In a momentous move to protect one of Africa's rarest antelopes, Kenya has welcomed home 17 mountain bongos from the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation in Florida, United States. The antelopes are the third-generation offspring of mountain bongos originally taken from Kenya in the 1960s and relocated to North America to preserve the species following loss of habitat, diseases and poaching back at home.

In a statement released on Monday, the Kenya Wildlife Service said that the repatriation of the mountain bongos were flown in on Sunday as part of an initiative of Kenya's National Recovery and Action Plan for the Mountain Bongo, which aims to increase the population to 750 individuals over the next 50 years.

Erastus Kanga, the Kenya Wildlife Service director, revealed that Kenya is expecting another batch from Europe in the next three months as the country gears up to increase its numbers and enhance tourism. He added that this repatriation came after years of cross-nation talks that have seen several multilateral negotiations signed. The repatriated mountain bongos have been transported to a wildlife sanctuary near Mount Kenya where they will be cared for and gradually released into the wild.

"This initiative not only enhances our leadership in wildlife preservation but also aims to revive the critically endangered species, boosting their population and creating jobs while improving community livelihoods," Kanga said.

"As we grow the mountain bongo population, we anticipate more tourists and increased revenue for Kenya. Together, we are building a sustainable future for our wildlife and communities," he added.

Rebecca Miano, Kenya's cabinet secretary for tourism and wildlife, said the return of the mountain bongos will be instrumental in bringing back biodiversity in the ecosystem. She added that the 17 repatriated animals will be integrated into the ecosystem and are expected to breed and reproduce, probably saving them from extinction.

"This first of its kind initiative is a testament to the power of collaborative conservation, involving government, communities, private sector partners and international collaborators. It not only saves a species but also restores ecosystems and safeguards our natural heritage for future generations," Miano said.

John Kinoti, the chairman of the Meru County Bongo and Black Rhino Conservation Trust where the antelopes will be sheltered, said that a temporary holding area fitted with paddocks has been set up to enable the animals to acclimatize and settle after landing, before they are released to the wild. The trust had already completed creating a sanctuary in readiness for mountain bongo return.

"This project demonstrates the first effort in several decades of a public-private partnership of its kind in Kenya aimed to re-introduce a wildlife species that had disappeared from the northern slope of the Mount Kenya Forest," Kinoti said.

Mountain bongos are a subspecies of the bongo, a type of forest antelope found primarily in the mountainous forests of central Kenya. They are a critically endangered antelope whose population has drastically declined from approximately 500 individuals in the 1970s to fewer than 100 in the wild today in Kenya. The first repatriation to Kenya from North America was in 2004 when 18 mountain bongos were flown into the country.