|
Tragelaphus euryceros isaaci
Also called mountain bongo or eastern bongo. The subspecific name is for a Mr. Isaac, of Ravine Station on the Mau Escarpment, Kenya, who obtained the skulls and skins from which the animal was first described.
DESCRIPTION The Kenya bongo is similar to the western bongo except that old males have a darker ground color and-supposedly-fewer stripes and thicker horns.
DISTRIBUTION Only in Kenya, where it occurs locally in mountain rain forests and bamboo thickets between 7,000-10,000 feet (2,100-3,050 m) on Mt. Kenya, in the Aberdare Mountains, the Mau Forest, and the Cherangani Hills.
REMARKS The Kenya bongo was undoubtedly the most difficult major trophy in Africa to obtain by sporting means. Not only is it as shy, wary and elusive as its western relative, but hunting conditions in its steep, wet and cold habitat are far more demanding. Such was the difficulty of bagging one that they were pursued with dog packs, and at one time any bongo-male, female or juvenile-was considered a shootable trophy. This is academic at present, as Kenya has been closed to hunting since 1977.
|
LOGIN
