[ti:New Hope for Kenya’s Forest Antelope] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]An environmental group says a program [00:03.36]to save one of Kenya's most famous animals [00:06.96]has returned a group of mountain bongos to the wild. [00:12.32]The International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, [00:18.52]said disease, illegal hunting and forest loss [00:23.12]have left fewer than 100 wild mountain bongos. [00:28.12]But last week, conservationists released five [00:32.48]of the large creatures into the 3.1 square kilometer [00:37.80]Mawingu Mountain Bongo Sanctuary near Mount Kenya. [00:43.20]"The mountain bongo is one of Kenya's [00:45.84]most important iconic animals," said Najib Balala. [00:50.24]He is the country's minister of tourism and wildlife. [00:55.32]He spoke after cutting the ribbon [00:57.80]at the sanctuary's opening ceremony on Wednesday. [01:01.80]The bongo's release is the high point of a breeding [01:05.48]and rewilding program that began in 2004. [01:09.92]Rewilding is a term that means planning the introduction [01:14.16]of a rare animal back into the wild. [01:18.20]The goal is to have 50 to 70 bongos in the sanctuary by 2025, [01:24.52]and 750 by 2050, the government says. [01:29.88]"This is like the first step in the recovery," said Isaac Lekolool, [01:35.64]head of veterinary services at the Kenya Wildlife Service, or KWS. [01:43.48]Mountain bongos once moved in large numbers. [01:47.40]But the few remaining animals live in forested areas around Kenya. [01:53.20]Their bodies have thin, white stripes making them easy to recognize. [01:58.80]The IUCN said local people are hunting the animals including with dogs. [02:04.88]Robert Aruho is head of veterinary services [02:09.32]at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, or MKWC. [02:14.60]He said, "This species is being driven to extinction [02:18.96]in the wild unless something is done quickly." [02:22.00]Extinction is a term that means the complete disappearance of a species. [02:28.12]Aruho added that MKWC has set up community conservation, [02:34.04]education, and empowerment programs to bring attention to [02:38.96]and help reduce the human threats to the animal. [02:42.68]MKWC has also involved local communities [02:47.60]in planting over 35,000 local tree species [02:51.92]around Mount Kenya to help the damaged forest. [02:56.68]To help maintain genetic health in the breeding program, [03:00.36]approval has been given to import bongos [03:03.32]from Europe and America, Aruho said. [03:07.00]I'm John Russell. [03:08.80]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM