New baby Bongo at the Houston Zoo

Penelope the bongo is three weeks old and weighed 38 pounds at birth. Two days after she was born she had gained 8 pounds!  She’s doing great.

She is the first offspring for mom Pili and dad Ferndale. 

So, you might ask – what’s a bongo? 

Well, a bongo is a type of antelope native to the lowlands and mountain forests of Kenya and western Africa.  In the wild, bongos are shy and elusive but very social.  In fact, bongos are the only forest antelope to form herds.

The Western or lowland bongo is classified as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the IUCN.  The Eastern or mountain bongo is classified as endangered.