The Story of the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy is as full of color, romance and memorable incident - both human and animal - as any of the classic Out of Africa sagas.
Yet it's never been told.
One day, perhaps. But in the meantime, the following outline covers some of the highlights of the founding and 35 years of development of this African heritage conservation project for the preservation of endangered wildlife in Kenya.
At the heart of the project is the ANIMAL ORPHANAGE, a privately owned and funded facility, unique in East Africa, for the care and rehabilitation of young, abandoned, sick or otherwise vulnerable animals and their eventual return to the wild.
It all began like this... Two young Americans met up in East Africa for the first time in 1964. They were in Kenya, their country of choice, for no good purpose other than to enjoy themselves. Do a Teddy Roosevelt - go off on wild adventurous safaris in the bush, hunting and fishing, and collecting themselves a bag of the fabled "Big Game" trophies.
Kenya was newly independent of British colonial rule and under the Republic's founding President, "Mzee" Jomo Kenyatta, they found the reborn "Black African" land both a warm and welcoming place - and of beauty beyond description.
They bonded closely over the course of their Safaris into the wildest parts of Kenya. But the thrill of hunting soon began to wane. What they came to realize was that the sheer pleasure and personal reward they received from the African "bush" experience were not from the destruction of wildlife but from feelings of wonder and exhilaration at its very existence in a timeless natural environment.
From that point, they made a pact to do what they could to protect and preserve the animals.
It was at first a day-dream, but over time they began to talk more seriously about the possibility of owning a small private part of the wild, with no other agenda than to fulfil their commitment.
It would eventually happen. They found a stretch of pristine rangeland and so began what would be a lifetime's work of developing the first project of its kind in "Black Africa" - The Mount Kenya Game Ranch.
The two friends and partners in the enterprise were film actor William (Bill) Holden and TV personality, Don Hunt.
The RanchIn their search for the ideal location, they were joined by Julian McKeand, former professional hunter turned game warden, and Iris, a German-born art and Africa enthusiast who would later become Don's wife.
They eventually found their perfect site - 1,216 acres of rough marginal rangeland nestling in the foothills of Mount Kenya, surrounding the world-famous Mount Kenya Safari Club. Owners Jim and Betty-Ann Nicholsen were elderly and finally tiring of a hard life of subsistence on a small annual wheat crop and a few sheep they ran on the land. They were ready to sell.
The deal with the Nicholsens was duly done and the farm acquired. Dean Johnson, a well-known U.S. Attorney and Bill's close friend and mentor, joined the group to oversee the legalities.
Together they agreed to Don's idea for the concept of their corporate logo, which symbolized the core purpose of the project that would remain the one constant over the ensuing decades of development and ever more diverse activities on the Ranch. It featured the elusive Bongo of Mount Kenya and the Aberdare forests - the rarest, most threatened and, some say, most beautiful of the African antelopes.
From day one, for all the partners, Kenya would remain "Timeless Africa". It would take up many hours of deep and meaningful musings around the campfire on safari, or, more soberly, at breakfast at the ranch, watching the snowy peaks of Mount Kenya gleaming in the early light.
The farm was all but devoid of wildlife. It bordered dense forest land and the Mount Kenya National Park, where traditionally, animals had been hunted for meat - but also, increasingly at the time, poached for illegal trade in horns and skins. The game warden and his staff did all they could to contain the onslaught of commercial poaching.
Increasing human settlement posed a further threat to wildlife and people alike. What were once traditional migratory routes for the game became "conflict zones" and the animals were seen as trespassers to be chased off or shot. The conflict has yet to be resolved.
