A 32-Hour Journey From Texas to Taiwan
Harris, a male eastern bongo with striking white stripes and spiraling horns, has arrived in Taiwan after a 32-hour journey from Texas. Born in 2022, the rare forest antelope spent his entire life at the Houston Zoo before embarking on this relocation to join the Taipei Zoo.
The striped traveler touched down at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport on Tuesday night, having departed from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Monday. Staff from EVA Air greeted him with a welcoming banner that read, “Hello Harris, welcome to your new home in Taipei!” Before he makes his public debut, Harris must complete at least a month in quarantine.
Preparing the Chill Traveler for Taipei
Getting a forest antelope across the globe is no small feat. The Houston Zoo care team spent months getting Harris comfortable with a custom-built travel crate tailored specifically to his size and weight. Fortunately, the young bongo proved to be a chill traveler with a confident and curious personality. He voluntarily spent hours inside the crate and even took naps in it. Two Houston Zoo employees accompanied him on the journey to monitor his well-being.
The move comes with high stakes for the destination institution. The Taipei Zoo’s eastern bongo population had dwindled to just five females prior to his arrival. Zoo officials hope that Harris will successfully strengthen genetic diversity and help support a sustainable population for the critically endangered species.
A Partnership Rooted in Conservation and History
Endangered by habitat loss from forest clearing, livestock grazing, and hunting, eastern bongos are indigenous to the mountain forests of Kenya. It is believed that only about 100 individuals remain in the wild today. Despite their musical-sounding name, bongos have nothing to do with drums; the term originates from an African tribal name for the animal.
The ground-work for this international transfer was laid back in June 2025, when the Houston Zoo officially announced that Harris would eventually relocate to Taipei as part of an international breeding program. That same month, the zoo welcomed his younger brother, Hamish. The timing of the move also coincides with the 65th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Houston and Taipei.
Safe travels, Harris! Our eastern bongo is heading to Taipei Zoo to help support a genetically diverse population of this critically endangered species. Thank you to EVA Air and Evergreen Logistics for making his 32-hour journey possible! Read more: https://t.co/1QV6vtLkLU pic.twitter.com/ygzNRfZxlI
“Harris made a special place in the hearts of his Houston Zoo care team, and will certainly be missed,” the zoo said in a statement.
Harris is not the only resident leaving Houston behind. Last week, the zoo announced that Kirby, its viral baby elephant, will soon depart alongside her mother, Shanti, and older sister, Joy. Officials have yet to disclose the travel timeline or the specific zoological facility where this group will be relocated under a separate conservation breeding initiative.
