Bongo

Taronga zoo welcomes rare bongo antelope Bongo-1-.jpg
The Bongo are nocturnal antelopes of reddish-orange color with white stripes running vertically along the body. This hoofed animal is the largest species of antelope and the only antelope species which has horns on both the males and females. They are found in central, east and west Africa, inhabiting the dense woodlands and on mountains with altitudes up to 4,000 meters above the sea level.

Taxonomy
The bongo belongs to the genus Tragelaphus, which includes the sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekeii), the nyala (Tragelaphus angasii), the bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), the mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni), the Lesser Kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis) and the greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros).

Bongos are further classified into two subspecies: Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus, the lowland or "western bongo", and the far rarer Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci, the mountain or "eastern bongo" restricted to north-eastern Central Africa. The eastern bongo is larger and heavier than the western bongo. Two other subspecies are described from West and Central Africa, but taxonomic clarification is required. They have been observed to live up to 19 years.

The scientific name Tragelaphus eurycerus is acquired from Greek words: "Tragelaphus" is derived from the Greek words "trago" (a he-goat), and "elaphos" (a deer), in combination referring to "an antelope". The word "eurycerus" is originated from the fusion of "eurus" (broad, widespread) and "keras" (an animal's horn). "Bongo" is derived from a West African native name

Population and Conservation
Few estimates of population density are available. Assuming average population densities of 0.25 animals per km² in regions where it is known to be common or abundant, and 0.02 per km² elsewhere, and with a total area of occupancy of 327,000 km², a total population estimate of approximately 28,000 is suggested. Only about 60% are in protected areas, suggesting that actual numbers of the lowland subspecies may only be in the low tens of thousands. In Kenya, their numbers have declined significantly and on Mt. Kenya, they were extirpated within the last decade due to illegal hunting with dogs. Although information on their status in the wild is lacking, lowland bongos are not presently considered endangered.

Bongos are susceptible to diseases such as rinderpest, which almost exterminated the species the 1890s. The Tragelaphus eurycerus may suffer from goitre. Over the course of the disease, the thyroid glands greatly enlarge (up to 10 x 20 cm) and may become polycystic. Pathogenesis of goiter in the bongo may reflect a mixture of genetic predisposition coupled with environmental factors, including a period of exposure to a goitrogen.[12 ] Leopards and spotted hyenas are the primary natural predators (lions are seldom encountered due to differing habitat preferences); pythons sometimes eat bongo calves. Humans prey on them for their pelts, horns and meat, with the species being a common local source for "bush meat".[13 ] Bongo populations have been greatly reduced by hunting, poaching and animal trapping, although some bongo refuges exist.

Although bongos are quite easy for humans to catch via snares; it is of interest that many people native to the bongos habitat believed that if they ate or touched bongo they would have spasms similar to epileptic seizures. Because of this superstition, bongos were less harmed in their native ranges than expected. However, these taboos are said no longer to exist and that may account for increased hunting by humans in recent times.