Welcome Mtoto!
In May we were thrilled to welcome back a male bongo to Watatunga Wildlife Reserve. Mtoto has settled in really well and is frequently spotted on tour. Find out more about what the first months involved via this interview with Molly, our Reserve Operations Manager.
Where did Mtoto come from?
“He came from Knowsley Safari Park, near Liverpool, he came to us through the EEP (European Endangered Species Programme) co-ordinator and is with us on what’s called a ‘temporary park’. This is because Mtoto is a bull and potentially may have very important genetics for the breeding programme in future, therefore he may need to be sent to another facility to breed with other genetically compatible females.”
What is involved in the process of animal transfers?
“If an animal sits within an EEP then permission must be sought from the EEP co-ordinator prior to any transfer arrangements taking place. An EEP is the most intensive type of population management within zoos, EEP’s are for the world’s most vulnerable species, like the bongo. And each EEP has a co-ordinator, this is someone who has a particular interest in the species. The co-ordinator is then assisted by a species committee. The co-ordinator has many responsibilities such as collecting information on the status of all the individuals within the species held in zoological facilities. They also carry out demographic and genetic analysis and produce a plan for the future management of the species.”
How was travelling with Mtoto?
“Mtoto travelled down really well, he was very settled and travelled very calmly and quietly, as the drive was only a few hours long. He unloaded well at Watatunga where he was released into our soft release enclosure within the reserve. He was a little nervous to begin with and wanted very little contact with staff, understandably he was probably quite stressed from his move.”
What procedures were in place to welcome Mtoto to Watatunga?
“We set up the heating in our shed to automatically come on if it dropped below 15 degrees in temperature, we gave him a large bed so we wouldn’t need to bother him for a few days, we tied up lots of fresh browse for him to eat, ensured his large hayrack was full of fresh haylage, fitted a CCTV camera to the shed that could move around and was connect to our mobile phones so we could monitor how he was settling in, we made some large tree branch piles in the paddock so that he would have some form of enrichment when he first arrived and we attached short strands of bright red and yellow tape to the deer mesh fencing within the soft release enclosure so he could safely learn where the perimeters were. We decided to add the tape because at a quick glance you cannot see deer mesh as it is quite fine and as he is a flighty species he could potentially collide with the fence if something spooked him and he didn’t see it in time.”
How did he get on in quarantine?
“The progress with Mtoto was quite slow to begin with, he didn’t want any interaction with staff, was quite nervous and would not come over to feed if we stood there and watched. It took him about a week to be comfortable enough to eat in front of us. It took him a long time to become accustomed to the buggies we used on tours but we detoured the usual route so that they only passed him at a wide distance to begin with as the soft release enclosure sits within our reserve therefore he could see the buggies through the fence. Mtoto slowly started to eat less concentrated feed (pellet) and started to increase his browse intake, we gave him ad-lib browse everyday to prepare for life out on the reserve. We closely monitored his interaction with other species through the fence, he was particularly scared by our scimitar-horned oryx, we have some funny CCTV footage of our oryx trying to introduce himself! But this was no doubt as he would probably have never come across an oryx before. However, we did catch a lot of really nice footage of our eland and nilgai laying up against the fence near him on a routine basis. We were able to watch the majority of our species interact with him through the fence on the CCTV, which was really cool to see. These inter-species interactions, spread across a gradual length of time, meant that Mtoto’s stress levels were kept relatively reduced, thus avoiding conditions like capture myopathy; a stress-induced muscle degenerative condition that affects wild animals when the become too stressed in a short space of time. Both antelope and deer are particularly prone to this.”
How did you know he was ready to be let out into the reserve?
“We wanted Mtoto to be more reliant on browse and haylage as a food source, rather than a highly concentrated diet as we knew that he would have unlimited browsing opportunities within the reserve. Once we got to this stage we wanted to ensure that we had built up a positive relationship between staff that do animal rounds and Mtoto so that he would still want to come and find us for his two feeds a day, enabling us to monitor him closely and ensure that he was coping ok with life at Watatunga. Mtoto associated the noise of the quad bike with food, we do this so that the animals learn that animal feed only comes from the quad bike and not guest buggies. We got to the point where Mtoto would actively come over to the fence during tours to get a closer look at the buggies, he started to show genuine interest in guests as opposed to fear, for us that was when we knew he was ready for life in the reserve.”
How was his release?
“We open the door to his shed, ushered him out and called him over with some feed. When then backed off and observed from a safe distance, he bee-lined for the willow trees and immediately started to explore the reserve. It was almost like he was tasting a mouthful of each tree that he passed and after ten minutes he disappeared into the woodland for further exploration. We checked the cameras that night to see if he returned to his shed, which he still had access to, he did not return at all. However, this was no surprise to us at all as bongo are mostly nocturnal. He did however keep up a feeding routine and would appear at around 8pm every evening for feed in the soft release enclosure. Mtoto had high standards and would only drink from a pristine clean water trough, as opposed to the natural springs that are scattered across Watatunga. It was incredibly hot when we first released him, about 30 degrees, so we returned most evenings that week at 10pm to refill his trough and feed him.”
How has he been getting on since?
“Mtoto has come on leaps and bounds since being at Watatunga, he now enjoys a scratch from staff and seeks out people for interaction. He is quite elusive however, so you should consider yourself lucky if he presents himself to you on one of our tours. He often confidently strides out from our dense woodland areas on at least one tour a day, enjoys standing and staring for a few moments, and will continue on his way when he realises there is no feed. So be quick to grab a photo when you see him! We have just had some tree work done within the reserve, and unfortunately had to take down a few willow trees surrounding the power lines, it’s safe to say Mtoto found those willow trees within a matter of hours and has been content with his findings! One of the most interesting things about Mtoto is that when he first arrived, he spent so much time in his shed. It seemed to be his safe space for a while but that safe space has since transformed into our rhododendron bushes within the woods, despite him still having access to multiple heated sheds.”
What’s your favourite thing about Mtoto?
“I would say that it is his ability to find you on the reserve because we have built up such a good relationship with him. You could spend hours looking for him but he will only be found when he wants to be – or when it’s dinner time! I like the interaction that we get from Mtoto, he is very confident and enjoys interacting with people that he knows, whereas most of our species within the reserve do not want you anywhere near them! Mtoto will only let certain staff close to him and will often bow his head when he wants you to touch him, you can’t just reach out and touch him, everything is on his terms, and rightly so!”
