Robin's Nest from American Humane - Passion for Protection: A Conversation with Conservationist Dr. Aruho

Episode Date: February 17, 2025

In this compelling episode of Robin’s Nest, Dr. Robin Ganzert welcomes Dr. Robert Aruho, a leading conservationist and veterinarian dedicated to protecting one of the world’s most endangered species—the mountain bongo. As Head of Conservancy, Veterinary Services, and the Mountain Bongo Program at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, Dr. Aruho shares his passion for saving these magnificent antelopes, whose numbers have dwindled to fewer than 100 due to poaching and habitat loss.Dr. Aruho speaks to the critical role that accredited zoos play in repopulating endangered species, emphasizing that ethical, science-based conservation efforts are key to reversing the decline. His dedication to wildlife extends beyond bongos—he also works on giraffe conservation and translocation efforts to ensure their survival.Throughout the conversation, Dr. Aruho’ s deep love for his work shines through, as he describes it as “all joy because you do what you love.” He also shares a touching personal motivation—his lifelong promise to his mother to protect the animals.Tune in for this inspiring discussion on the frontlines of conservation and the fight to save species from extinction.

Welcome to Robin's Nest. Many of us feel a deep bond with animals, from the pets we cherish at home to the endangered species in nature. Join us for lively, informative conversations where together we will build a more humane world. We're honored to have Dr. Robert Arujo, a renowned wildlife veterinarian and conservationist, is our guest on today's episode of Robin's Nest. Dr. Arujo has dedicated his entire career to protecting Africa's most iconic species through groundbreaking veterinary care and conservation initiatives. We'll be discussing his pivotal role in wildlife health, the challenges of working in the field, and

his inspiring efforts to safeguard endangered species across the continent. I'm so thrilled today to have Dr. Robert Arujo here in Robin's Nest all the way from Africa, and I'll tell you we're going to hear some exciting stories and updates from Robert. His incredible career as a wildlife veterinarian on the front lines of saving incredible animals from extinction. I want to talk to you today, Robert, about mountain gorillas who I dearly love. I want to talk about the, you mentioned the okapi. I want to talk about bongos. I have, and giraffes. You've just done it all and I'd love to just officially welcome you today.

Thank you, Robin. So it's a pleasure to be here in Washington, D.C. and thank you for extending this great invitation to be here. Well, it is our pleasure. Our listeners may not know this, but Dr. Aruho has actually been a finalist for the 2004-24 International Kiesling Prize for Species Conservation. And that's because your incredible, incredible background, your work every day. We are so inspired by who you are and what you do to make the world better. So thank you for being here. A pleasure.

It's great to see that, you know, when we're working we are very busy and sometimes you don't know that actually people are not seeing. So for me it's an honor to get that great recognition. Oh, well, your work is exceptional. So let's get right into learning more about the work. So Robert, tell me a little bit about what you do every day. What does a day in the life of Dr. Robert Oruho look like?

Robert has actually a long day. I'm sure. And sometimes he doesn't know whether it has 24 hours. It doesn't have enough, right? Because right from the rising of the sun, even when it sets, I'm still working. And simply because currently I'm working on the Mountain Bongo project

and it's extremely technically demanding. So I put in all my expertise. I also put in all my physical strength. I'm quite engaged. So I begin all my work at 6 a.m. I'm out in the field because I want to know how the animals are doing and then I go through the day, then run through administration and still I'm the last person to go to bed. So by to go to bed. So by 8, 8.30 p.m. that's when I cross my field work and then go now to look after myself. So it's always quite a busy day but it's all joy because I do what I love. I love that it's all joy because you do what you

love. Yeah. That's beautiful and that's wonderful. Tell me a little bit about your mountain bongo project. Tell us what bongos are, these precious creatures. The mountain bongo is the biggest antelope that lives in the forest in the whole world. And they are found only in Kenya presently in the wild. And they used to occur on two mountains, Mount Ergon, which is shared between Uganda and Kenya. And then also they were in Mount Kenya and also Mount Abadaias.

But their population sadly has been going down drastically due to human driven causes like poaching. Poaching. Poaching, yes, habitat loss. And that has driven the mountain bongo population to, at the moment we are talking about less than a hundred animals left in the wild.

Less than a hundred mountain bongo in the wild. Yeah. That's horrible. Yeah. It's just like less than a small classroom of African children. Oh my God. I can't imagine. I poaching for bushmeat.

Bushmeat, yes. Yes. Then there was live trade because people, many people wanted to have bongos in their quarreling areas. Yes. And then, you know, it's a majestic antelope with pyrohorns which make one twist. So hunters prefer to have a bongo because of the trophy. The skin itself is a is very magnificent because it's chocolate brown animal with vertical white strips. So

every person having such a trophy at home as a skin is also appearing. So the bongo was killed for meat, killed for its trophies. And then as the numbers were going down there was a rinderpest outbreak in 1980 in Kenya that now decimated the numbers to the lowest level. And as that is going on our population was also growing so the quest for tibba products and charcoal. So most of the forest areas were cut, reducing the size of the home of the mountain bongo. So with that shrinking population, then shrinking habitat, that was not helping the species to recover.

And then the Animate Seraph has a very unique behavior. I think Antelopes are shy, but the mountain bongo is the shyest. So with its shy nature, and then with a very little habitat remaining and mind you this now as a population is growing, it was growing, most of the habitat connectivity was now getting reduced because of the urbanization. So the remaining population in Mount Kenya and abadayas were also cut off because of urbanization. So there was no chance that actually these populations can meet together and be viable. So now that made it very difficult

to recover the bongo. That's why the numbers continue to go down and down. Well I'm just devastated by this. That is just terrible. Number one, I always, I just despise trophy hunting. I'm sure you know that about, I always, I just despise trophy hunting. I'm sure you know that about me by now. I definitely despise trophy hunting and I just get physically ill when I go into someone's home and see a trophy. To me, that is not a trophy, that's a life.

And in this case, it's a life of an endangered species, a critically endangered species. And I just think that is just so horrible. But you could have already guessed that about me. I'm sure you feel the same way, am I right? Yeah, because you see, having been an active participator in the recovery of endangered species, I know what that one animal means.

Yes, every animal counts. Every animal counts, especially when you are at a hard place like we are with a mountain bongo. So I really get a feel of your sentiment because it means a lot to lose one animal. So I finally found a kindred spirit friends I've been told by other scientists that it's not about one animal it's about the species and I don't believe that I thought I think it's we're down to such diminished populations as you're describing with the mountain bongo that it is every animal counts so thank you for sharing my sentiments on that thank you. Yes. And

you see it in real life every single day? Yes, yes. You say like for the mountain Bongo where we are, we could not recover the population now through the existing animals in Kenya. So the only for back that you one could actually find feasible was to get animals from the zoos. So you can see the hard press we are starting from. And those animals were only in the zoos here in America and in Europe. Imagine taking back an animal in Africa, again,

get it to use to the African conditions, allow it to settle, breed it, train for wild survival. You can imagine the stress that you will go through. Yes. Imagine we are going to recover an elephant, you're going to recover a zebra. I mean, this is going to be very, very stressful. So I think every animal really matters. And I think we usually need to pay attention to what is going on in our ecosystems

and put stop measures to ensure that we do not diminish our wildlife populations. Oh, thank goodness. I agree completely with what you're saying. And, you know, these zoo populations have actually been criticized by people who don't believe animals should be in human care. But the reality is that each of these collections of animals in modern zoos and aquariums are actually the emergency rooms for species that are vanishing and included the insurance populations

because of the genetics, right? Yeah, yeah. Actually, just to give you like just a little story still attached to the bongos. to give you like just a little story still attached to the bongos. When we discovered because our institution still in Kenya, the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, then was called Mount Kenya Game Ranch. When we realized actually the population in the wild were going down. So we convinced the Kenyan government, our founder then Don Hunt, convinced the Kenyan government that look we need to capture some bongos and

send them to American zoos and Europe. It was a big hassle but then finally the bongos were sent to the zoos. Fast forward in 2004 when we wanted to recover the mountain bongo, which was where could we get the founding stock? They were the zoos. So our program, especially with the recovery of the mountain bongo, underscores the important role the zoos play in the recovery of species currently. And I think maybe the zoos were criticized in the past because this connection was not well explained

to the people. That's right. And also us, the conservation community, we were not able to synthesize and create that linkage. But as of now, we can see actually, the zoo is like Noah's archetype of environment and I believe we can cover the species. Zoos have a critical role to play in the recovery of species in the wild

population, like we are doing the bongo. I've seen we've been able to bring rhinos from the zoos to the wild and they have survived both black and white rhinos. So I believe the zoos have a great role. And then also the education of a human being because what is diminishing all these species? The human factor. And who has the best tools to correct that?

The zoo community. Yes. Powerful. We are a powerful advocate, Robert. This is exciting to have this conversation with you. So you're doing critical work with the bongo, but throughout your career as a wildlife veterinarian and leader in saving species, you've worked with the mountain gorilla as well in Uganda? Was that in Uganda? Yes, yes.

So tell us about the mountain gorilla. Actually, how I joined the Wildlife conservation is quite a unique thing. I was with my mother. Uganda has just come out of the civil war, and I remember working closer to the forest where the chimpanzees and gorillas used to inhabit. And I asked my mother, when we are sick, we go to the hospital. But when these animals are sick, where do they go? She told me, we don't have anybody who can

take care of these animals. I said I would be the one. So I kept now, I was very curious. I started reading about our wildlife and then that's when I discovered actually the mountain gorilla was extremely rare in Uganda. So that became my heartbeat, that I needed to complete my studies and I go to work with the mountain gorillas. So when I got an opportunity to work with Uganda Wildlife Authority, immediately they made me to be

the national species coordinator. And of that, I was now overseeing even the mountain gorilla recovery program in Bwindi and Mgahinga. So I was able to directly work on their health care, I was also able to work on strategies for their recovery and if there is one thing that you can look back and say that yes I think we made great steps I think the recovery of the mountain gorillas is a remarkable conservation success. Because we see, we started with less than 400,

now we are talking about 1,042 gorillas that are within the Vilunga Massif, which is very remarkable. And I know Rwanda and Volcanoes National Park has a great story on mountain gorillas too. Yes, yes. Yes, and I just love and I think that Uganda and Rwanda are cooperating, right? Yeah, we cooperate greatly.

There is a very great framework called the Greater Virunga Transbundary Agreement, which was signed. That cooperation just helps us to create that synergy because gorillas we know they are transboundary species. We have a stubborn group in Mgahinga that crosses to Rwanda today, comes to Uganda so that needs that collaboration. Even as personnel we used to we crossover like I used crossover to go to Kawuzi Biega in Congo to support and likewise Rwanda also crossover like when we had the escapees outbreak in Bwindi, Rwanda used to send their

veterinarians. We really work together because you see wildlife they don't possess passports because the land belongs to them. That's exactly right. So the only way we can keep up with them and make sure that we do initiative support them is also to ensure that there is effective human collaboration across borders because wildlife does not recognize borders. Yes.

Yes. Animals know no geographic boundaries, nor do they know political party affiliations either, do they? But we all depend on governments working together to help be part of the solution as well as communities. And as humans getting along really do help the conditions for the animals to be able to survive and thrive even. If we dare dream they thrive and we do dream that they thrive. That's wonderful. So impressive with that. Now I know we also have some stories about giraffes that you've worked on. Of course you've worked on so many different species. We could like talk to you in Robin's Nest about so many. We're going to have to have

you back. But this is wonderful. Tell us a little bit about their work with giraffes. My work for giraffes started in 2013. In 2013, I realized that actually in Uganda, we were in a very tough situation. We had just come out of a very prolonged civil war in northern Uganda. Yes. And I realized that actually all our drafts were located on northern side of River Nile in Uganda. Yes. And that's a place which had had over 20 years of civil war. Yeah.

So the biggest population was at March on Fords of around 250 giraffes. So the question that I was asking, if such a conflict intensifies and all your eggs are in one basket, what happens? So I went up to management, I said that this is not okay to keep all our giraffes in one area. I had read widely, I knew that giraffes occurred everywhere in Uganda. Rikumburu, they used to be there around 1900s and they were extinct. I also did not fathom the fact that you can have giraffe 1000 much on above the river Nile and can't have giraffes below. And then also we had a small population in Kedepo of around 25 individuals, which were still hanging on.

And the sex ratio was quite biased because they were more males than females. So I proposed management that the only way we can now recover giraffes in Uganda was to really start growing the population. And that's when now we started the giraffe translocations. So we first moved the giraffes from Marches on Forest to Lake Muro National Park, 15 of them. And this was a feat of its kind because in the whole country they had never seen giraffe move. The first giraffes which were moved in 1996 were

moved by a friend. They came from Kenya all the way to Kedepo. So no one had ever seen a giraffe in a truck moving. So when we did this it opened up a very great room of possibility and people started realizing, okay, I think this can be done. And then along the way, we got a very great partner, Giraffe Conservation Foundation, led by Julie and Steph Finnesse. And when they came, they really became the strong helping hand. So we worked together, they donated us trucks, and I convinced management now we can save the giraffe. Oh, that's wonderful.

In a short time, we created the population of 36 giraffes down in Southern Bank of Machison Falls. We went up north at the border of Southern Sudan. We reinforced the Kedepo population with another 15 giraffes. Then recently we created another population in Pyanupe of 29 giraffes. And within this short time, between 2013 to date, we have seen our population recover from the 250 that we knew that time, now to over 2,500. So it is a great conservation success.

It's a huge conservation success. Congratulations. Congratulations. Thank you. I hope we see that success when we have you back with the Mountain Bongo. Yeah, for the Mountain Bongo where we are now, I think we have a very great blueprint for success.

Wonderful. Yeah, because we've been able to transition animals from human care, hand-raised animals from human care. Now we've transitioned them to wild sanctuary. And we are seeing now their reproductive potential is very good. Their wild instincts are there. And we are seeing also now their recruitment in terms of birth

is very promising. We established a sanctuary in 2022, just the other day, but we already have more than five births in that area. So to me that's a testimony that actually is a proof of concept and you're on the right track to recover the bongo. And I think that's extending. And we're so inspired at Global Humane for your work for the Mountain Bongo that today we are pleased to announce a sizable grant

that we'll be awarding you on Thursday night in Washington, D.C. to continue your efforts for the Mountain Bongo on behalf of my organization, Global Humane. So thank you for what you do. We're so proud. Thank you, thank you. Proud to know you. Proud to know you.

Thank you, thank you. Yes, absolutely. Keep're so proud. Proud to know you. Thank you. Thank you. Absolutely. Keep it up. Oh yes. Keep it up. And we're your friend in this fight. Yes. That's for sure.

We are so touched by these stories. You know, you're on the front lines. You don't get any sleep. You're working all the time. I can relate to that, but we've got to get some sleep on occasion. You're doing very tough and challenging work. What brings you joy, Robert? What renews you? I think I have an intrinsic love for conservation, and to me that is the fuel, this is the engine of everything. And then, and I love conservation at another age. And the promise I made to my mother,

that I will take care of these animals. I know she's departed and gone, but that's promise I always want to endeavor to keep. And then there's also another thing that drives me. When I read the conservation history of Uganda, I discovered, for example, we had over 300 northern white rhinos by the year 1962. And we had 400 black rhinos in Uganda,

around 400 of them by the same year. But fast forward, where we stand now, we find that actually Uganda has no black rhinos. The northern white rhino is almost extinct globally. So the question I usually ask myself, if I had started work at that time, maybe I could have done something. So now that the past is already out of my control, I feel I should contribute to the future. I do not want to see extinction history associated with my time that a species got extinct and I was looking on without doing anything. So my heartbeat is that I am driven by that cruel history. I have a promise that I made to my mother and again I really love conservation.

This world, if we neglect it, I think we are the first species to be extinct. So for humanity to survive, we need our wildlife to continue. A promise to his mother. This is one of the most emotional sessions I've had, Robert, thank you so much for sharing this deeply personal journey.

I've made promises to my mother to fight for the animals too. So I understand that and we also say too there's such urgency in our work I'd like to say that an animal won't pass on my watch. That's the moral responsibility, the heavy mantle of responsibility that we wear and that's a mantle of responsibility that we share. Yes. To fight to be the voice for every single animal and let's don't forget friends every single animal counts. Yes.

Well, what a joy to have you today in Robin's Nest, Dr. Robert O'Uroho and we will be giving him a grant to continue his impressive and inspirational work with the Mountain Bongo. Thank you so very much. I appreciate and thank you for having me here. Thank you for hosting me and thank you for standing up for wildlife. And I think you are doing a very, very commendable service to humanity and not many organizations like you. So please keep on, keep on for the sake of wildlife

and for the sake of our planet. Thank you. Thank you for tuning in to Robin's Nest. We wanna hear what you think. Please make sure to review the podcast on your podcast platform. Watch for upcoming episodes that'll include new and exciting discussions.

If you love animals, you'll love this season of Robin's Nest.