Male mountain bongo arrives in Taiwan

A male mountain bongo on Tuesday night arrived at Taoyuan International Airport and is expected to make its debut at the Taipei Zoo in about a month after completing quarantine, the zoo said.

The bongo, named Harris, was donated by the Houston Zoo in Texas to help with the breeding of the critically endangered species, as only five females remain at the Taipei Zoo, Taipei Zoo director Ju Shiau-fen (朱孝芬) said while welcoming the animal at the airport.

Harris departed from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Monday and arrived in Taiwan at 10:26pm on Tuesday.

Harris the mountain bongo is pictured in an undated photograph.

Photo courtesy of EVA Airways

Staff from EVA Air, which handled the flight, welcomed him with a banner reading: “Hello Harris, welcome to your new home in Taipei!”

EVA Air official Chung Kai-cheng (鍾凱成) said Harris was accompanied on the 18-hour flight by the Houston Zoo’s deputy director and a caretaker, who attended to his needs during the journey.

The Houston Zoo began preparing Harris for the journey months in advance by placing the crate in which he was transported in his enclosure to help him become accustomed to it and reduce stress in the unfamiliar surroundings of an aircraft, EVA Air said.

American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene also attended the ceremony at the airport, expressing US support for partnerships that enhance bilateral ties.

The Taipei Zoo in a statement said this year marks the 112th anniversary of its establishment and the 65th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Taipei and Houston.

The bongo transfer celebrates these milestones while reflecting the two zoos’ partnership in wildlife conservation, it said.

Mountain bongos are native to montane forests in Kenya in East Africa and are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.