Open Today: 9 A.M. - 5 P.M.
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A female Bongo, displaying their rust colored brown bodies and white vertical stripe patterns, chewing grass out on the grassland. The one on the right has its head down, eating, as the one on the left stands looking at the viewer.

Bongo

Common Name:
Bongo
Scientific Name:
Tragelaphus eurycerus
Gestation Period:
270 days
Habitats:
  • Forest
Height:
4.15 ft
Length:
6.5 ft
Number of Young:
1
Weight:
650 lb
About:

Did you know bongos are primarily nocturnal animals? Learn more about bongos.

Care & Wellness:

Living on a 40-acre habitat can make medical care difficult. Training encourages the animals to participate in their own care and wellness. The bongo voluntarily enters a chute where keepers can weigh them and safely perform vaccinations, blood draws, and ultrasounds.

Behavior:
  • Males live mostly solitary lives while females may travel in small herds of up to 24 individuals.
  • When they run through the brush, their heads are thrown back so horns do not get tangled in the brush.
  • Distinctive patterns may help them identify individuals.
Endangered Status
  • Extinct in Wild (EW)
  • Critically Endangered (CR)
  • Endangered (EN)
  • Vulnerable (VU)
  • Near Threatened (NT)
  • Least Concern (LC)
  • Not Evaluated (NE)
Fun Facts:
  • Long, prehensile tongue helps grab foliage from plants.
  • Bongos are primarily nocturnal.
  • They are the largest forest antelope, and females are smaller than males.
  • Some native African groups believed touching or eating bongos would lead to spasms and seizures.
A headshot of a male Bongo with its brown, deer-like face, wide ears and large, thick horns standing in a field with tall grass.

Related Resources

An Addra Gazelle standing in an open, grassy field looking towards the viewer which showcases its white body, brown neck and shoulders and its long antlers that curve upwards.
Watani Grasslands Habitat

This spacious area of grass has large herds of elephants, rhinos, antelope, and gazelles. The animals are free to graze on the plants that cover the 40-acre habitat. 

 

Zoofari truck driving through the Watani Grasslands habitat that consists of a large open field and rolling hills which is the perfect environment for the Bongos that are seen grazing in the background.
Zoofari

African Wildlife Adventure

Get aboard a specially outfitted, open-air vehicle for an exclusive tour of the 40-acre Watani Grassland exhibit! Get to know nine different species (close to 100 animals) including rhinos, gazelles, antelopes, and more. You can get tickets to our public tours, or make a reservation for a private one. Available from April to October (weather dependent).