Endangered Bongo antelope born through Eland surrogate

“We've proven what was once considered aspirational is now achievable, and that opens doors for endangered and exotic animals worldwide," Brent Teeter, founder and owner of Infinity Exotics, said in a news release.¹

Infinity Exotics located in Central Texas recently announced what they are calling one of the most significant advancements in wildlife reproductive science in decades: the birth of a Bongo antelope from a surrogate Eland antelope. The healthy male calf born was named Pope, in honor of Earl Pope, PhD, the pioneer researcher who first achieved an interspecies embryo between a Bong and Eland surrogate in 1983.

“This calf represents decades of research and determination. It validates the belief that we can use modern veterinary science not only to treat animals, but to fundamentally change their conservation outlook. What we've learned here could be applied to countless species facing similar genetic and reproductive challenges," Will Weise, DVM, the veterinarian who worked on the project at Infinity Exotics, said in the release.¹

According to the release, with the successful creation and implantation of viable Bongo embryos into a closely related surrogate species, a door has been opened for scientists to explore new reproductive pathways to help ensure the survival of specials that are too small or fragmented to recover naturally.¹

Eastern Bongos are a critically endangered species with less than 100 left in the wild because of habitat loss from illegal logging, increased hunting, and disease.² Native to the mountainous forests of central Kenya, these animals have brown coats with a series of white vertical stripes, and both male and females have long twisted horns. Typically, female Bongos are more brightly colored that the males. In captivity, Bongos can live up to 20 years, but little is known about their life expectancy in the wild, which experts believe is less than life in captivity.² 

"This is a pivotal moment in safeguarding the future of the Bongo antelope and other endangered species," Brittni East, DVM, founder of Exotic Wildlife Veterinary Services, said in the release.¹ "This breakthrough demonstrates that assisted reproductive technologies, once limited to agricultural or laboratory settings, can now be effectively adapted to save species at the edge of extinction."

With the success of this birth, the Infinity Exotics team and its partners plan to explore how these reproductive technology could be standardized and scale to provide support to other endangered species across the globe.

References

1. Historic Breakthrough in Veterinary Science: Birth of Endangered Bongo Antelope from Eland Surrogate Signals New Era for Wildlife Conservation. News release. Infinity Exotics. November 19, 2025. Accessed November 19, 2025. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/historic-breakthrough-in-veterinary-science-birth-of-endangered-bongo-antelope-from-eland-surrogate-signals-new-era-for-wildlife-conservation-302619676.html
2. Bongo. Dublin Zoo. May 23, 2022. Accessed November 19, 2025. https://www.dublinzoo.ie/animal/bongo/