About the Bongo

General Information

The bongo is the largest and heaviest forest-dwelling antelope in the world, renowned for its striking appearance and elusive nature. Native to the dense tropical jungles and bamboo forests of Africa, this herbivorous ungulate is highly adapted to life in the shadows.

Bongos are easily recognized by their vibrant, chestnut-red coats, which are overlaid with 10 to 15 vertical, whitish-yellow stripes. These markings act as highly effective camouflage, breaking up the animal’s silhouette in the dappled sunlight of the forest. Uniquely, both males and females possess long, slightly spiraled horns that sweep backward over their shoulders. When running through dense brush, bongos tilt their heads back so their horns rest flat against their backs, preventing them from tangling in the vines and branches.

As primarily nocturnal browsers, bongos spend their time foraging for leaves, twigs, vines, and fruits. They use their long, prehensile tongues to strip vegetation and can even stand on their hind legs to reach food high up in the canopy. These social animals generally live in small herds made up of females and their young, while mature males tend to lead solitary lives. Today, both wild populations face severe threats from habitat fragmentation, disease, and illegal hunting.

Description of the Bongo

The bongo is the largest and most colorful of the African forest antelopes. It is easily recognized by its striking chestnut-to-orange coat, 10 to 15 vertical white stripes along its torso, large ears, and long, spiraled, lyre-shaped horns.

Key Physical Characteristics

Size: Bongos measure between 5.5 to 10 feet in length and stand about 3.5 to 4.3 feet tall at the shoulder.
Weight: Strong sexual dimorphism exists. Females typically weigh 460 to 557 lbs., while larger males can weigh between 528 to 891 lbs.
Coat & Markings: Both sexes have a short, glossy reddish-brown to chestnut coat. As males age, their coats darken into a deep mahogany or brownish-black.
Striation & Facial Markings: Between 10 and 15 vivid vertical white-yellow stripes run down their sides for camouflage. They feature a distinct white chevron (V-shape) between their eyes, white cheek spots, and a white crescent across the chest.
Horns: Unlike most antelopes, both males and females possess heavy, spiraled keratin horns. They sweep backward and usually have one to one-and-a-half twists, reaching lengths of up 2.5 to 3.2 feet.
Anatomical Features: They have large, broad ears designed for sharp hearing, a thin mane that runs from their shoulders to their rump, and a long tail ending in a tufted tip. They also have long, prehensile tongues used to grasp and strip vegetation.

Bongo Species / Subspecies

There are two distinct subspecies: the lowland (or western) bongo and the critically endangered mountain (or eastern) bongo.

Suitable Weapons

A .30 caliber is the smallest cartridge used to hunt a bongo. Cartridges chambered in the .338 and .375 are better choices because of their body size and the dense cover they live in.

Hunting Area

Bongos can be hunted free-range in Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR).

They can be hunted on numerous high-fence hunting preserves in Texas.