Here is an article published in the March, 2011, edition of East Africa’s Destination magazine, written by Juliet Barnes.

“In the vast savannahs of Africa there is a dimension of time and space that is an echo of our own beginnings and which reminds us that we were not born initially to live in the concrete jungle” -William Holden

Snakes Suffer Too

Poor old puff adders – nobody likes them. I felt a shard of pity when I heard that they’re supposed to live in hot, dry areas, but nowadays they’re being found on the forested slopes of Mount Kenya. Like us, snakes are victims of climate change. I looked at the stuffed puff adders, amongst many other specimens at The William Holden Wildlife Foundation

Education Centre: The African monarch is more palatable because it’s beautiful, but actually it’s also poisonous – other butterfly species mimic it so they don’t get snapped up by predators either. Nature is indeed a stage for a myriad of miracles. However this intricate ecosystem on Africa’s second highest mountain, also a World Heritage Site, is – as the puff adders prove – under very serious threat. William Holden Wildlife Fund Education Centre.

This Centre inspires school children (aged 11 and up), from all over Kenya, irrespective of background, to think about conservation. It’s not open to the public, although representing Destination I was hosted by Administrator David McConnell and shown around by Michael Ng’ang’a, Educational Coordinator. This conservation guru imbues these youngsters with knowledge and wisdom, his lectures tailored to age and background. This unique educational experience is mainly conducted in the great outdoors, supplemented with talks and films in the impressively stocked library/ lecture theatre.

Day groups combine activities at the Centre with visiting the nearby Animal Orphanage. The more comprehensive three day programme adds in campfire discussions and quizzes, treasure hunts around the nature trail, a game drive in the Centre’s four wheel-drive vehicles (including the popular six-wheeler), a weather station visit, and activities like tree-planting, cleaning up litter, or dismantling snares. Older kids climb a hill, studying vegetation zones and the uses of indigenous plants. Groups bring food and bedding, otherwise the entire experience, including cooking facilities, washrooms and spacious dormitory tents, is free.

Animal Orphanage residents

However this is no frivolous picnic on Mount Kenya; alcohol and cigarettes are banned, and groups must partake in the programme. Before leaving they clean up. Afterwards they’re expected to write up their observations.

My kids did the three day visit and came back preaching conservation. They’d stroked a baby bongo and met llamas (No way! I thought. Ha! Perhaps we should listen to our kids…) Like the other 10,000 plus youngsters who visit annually, or benefit from the Centre’s outreach programmes, they learned valuable lessons to carry with them into adulthood in an ever challenging world where the destruction of natural resources is spiralling our planet into crisis.

Recycling and Conserving

This was about the only two days in the year the WHWF wasn’t fully booked, so it was relatively quiet, apart from the shouts of red-chested cuckoos from the treetops. As we toured the attractive, well-maintained buildings and grounds, I learned about combatting climate change (which we can all do at home) and Mount Kenya’s crucial importance. Nature is artfully designed to work in harmony, but bring in one factor and it all goes amiss. A sign in a glade on the nature trail directs you to open a door to see the environment’s greatest enemy. You find yourself gazing in a mirror!

Energy from Biogas

First we toured the wetland that recycles all the camp’s waste water, emerging in the last pond having been cleaned by plants and filtered through stones. I was shown a simple biogas plant converting llama dung (more on llamas later) – although cow dung is better – into cooking gas. One parent expressed much gratitude after his daughter forced him to make biogas at home. Every youngster also makes an eco-friendly briquette: gently squeezing and moulding a ball made of soaked sawdust, waste paper, dry grass, leaves and charcoal dust, then dried into a cheap, slow-burning fuel alternative that emits minimal smoke. Michael invented his own briquette press.

Then there’s a solar water boiler – a black kettle hung in a reflecting cone, tilted to catch the sun’s rays; a bush fridge and solar box oven. Youngsters also learn the importance of composting, separation of waste and recycling.

The nature trail winds through unspoiled forest alongside the clear, glacier-fed Nanyuki River. There’s information on everything from soil quality to climate change. All groups plant a tree and harvest seeds for the nursery, taking seedlings back to school. They’re also shown organic farming: there are trout ponds, ducks, geese and rabbits and vegetable gardens with space and water-saving examples in sacks and tyres. Across the fence denuded land beside Kaloleni village reminds us of this forest’s fragility: we’d seen butterflies, birds, monkeys and two rare, wild black river duck. The other side of the fence supports nothing.

Movie Stars and History

Stefanie Powers and Rana

Actress Stefanie Powers is the driving force behind the WHWF Education Centre. Best remembered co-starring with Robert Wagner in Hart to Hart (which earned her five Emmy award nominations), she’s still starring, mainly on stage nowadays. Stefanie’s nine-year love affair with actor William Holden kept her close to Kenya. A year after he died in 1981, Stefanie opened this Centre on land donated by the Hunts, fulfilling Holden’s dream. In her autobiography One from the Hart, she writes: “I see his legacy in the animals he helped to preserve and the people whose lives he bettered.”

Holden’s love affair with Kenya began when he first visited in 1964. He met a fellow big game hunter, Don Hunt, well known in America for his children’s educational TV show. Both realising the importance of protecting Africa’s animals, they bought land and founded the Mount Kenya Game Ranch in 1967 – the first in Kenya. Don also met his future wife, German-born Iris, in Kenya. Heavy poaching in the 70′s prompted their rescuing and translocating of many vulnerable species with the blessing of Kenya’s first President, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. The ranch offered safe sanctuary, while surplus stock were exported to zoos in the USA and to other African reserves. When Iris’s house and bedroom became too full of rescued creatures in need of expert care, she started the orphanage.

Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy

In 2004 the Game Ranch became the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy. Separate from the WHWF, albeit working together side by side, this 1,200 acre sanctuary is still home to Stefanie Powers and Don and Iris Hunt, as well as 1,500 animals – some 28 species. Reserved for the breeding and rehabilitation of wild animals, it’s not open to the public.

We drove around in the evening light, watched over by Mount Kenya’s peaks, the glaciers elusive behind a shifting wreath of cloud. There’s only one white rhino left after “big muma” was machine-gunned by a gang hell-bent on getting her horn.

Happier news was the golden-eyed, white zebras; early British explorers reported these ghostly creatures on the Leroghi Plateau near Maralal. Later a couple more were sighted on Mount Kenya and zoologists labelled them Albinistic Sports.

As poaching escalated, the Hunts captured the four remaining white zebra from Leroghi and moved them to their game ranch where they bred well. Now over 100 have now been released on the mountain and future plans include releasing more up north.

There are non-indigenous, rescued animals too: two pygmy hippo who yawn for a cookie from Iris, an elderly zebroid (horse-zebra cross) – one of the original pack animals used on Mount Kenya and South American llamas. These crazy-looking creatures (I just love the toothy stare), woolly relatives of our camel, were originally donated by Don’s brother and have bred so well that 12 have been donated to Kenyan universities in the highlands. Amongst their many uses, they are wonderful pack animals, used for scaling the high Andes. The kids at the WHWF Centre actually get to walk with them!

The Animal Orphanage

Iris Hunt with orphaned baby zebra

Some released orphans return, like the caracal who has been released three times – now being prepared for release further away. Karen the bushbuck, whose mother was eaten by a leopard, has been resident for six years: she leaves to find mates, but returns to her comfort zone to give birth.

Karen and her two grown babies, who haven’t left yet either, were happily playing chase with a baby bongo in the evening sun. Other animals, like the monkeys, are released in family groups. Meanwhile they’re breeding: a Colobus nursed her baby and a Pattas monkey restrained hers from coming too close to us. Patricia the ostrich looked on as I met the world’s first “mangaboon.” A crested Mangabey, confiscated in Zurich, made friends with a baboon and this was the result! Things that wouldn’t happen in the wild happen here: three cheetahs, abandoned cubs who were hand-raised, ignore the Mount Kenya Hartebeest. Romeo the porcupine tolerates Matata, half-whitenosed monkey and half-Sykes, who steals his food. The bush pig wants a scratch. Sokoke wild cats mew for their dinner. The whole place takes on the slightly surreal feeling of an incredibly cosmopolitan, blissfully happy boarding school.

The Bongo Project

Don Hunt with Bongos

I met Kate, a beautiful young bongo, named in honour of Prince William’s engagement. William Holden called bongos the “stars” of the Mount Kenya ecosystem. A big, dark male, with impressive horns, wanders by. Fundi says he’ll grow to over 450 kg. “Aren’t they beautiful?” Iris echoes my thoughts. “They used to be all over Mount Kenya…” I notice her pendant is painted with a bongo.

Back in the 1970′s, after studies indicated a drastic decrease in bongo populations, 20 animals were sent by the Hunts to the USA to breed. In 2004, when bongos had become officially endangered, the first group arrived back home. After settling back in they bred successfully in special designated areas within the conservancy, slowly encouraged to become wild again. Several years later this was named one of the world’s top ten Most Successful Conservation Projects, focussing worldwide attention on the importance of Mount Kenya.

Now there are over 80 bongos, with the first group ready to be released back into the Mount Kenya forest. Don’s vision is to have 400 wild bongos back on the mountain in ten years time.

Classroom at WHWF

Money Matters

At the WHWF Centre a plaque acknowledges donors – including Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Martina Navratilova, Paul Newman and Robert Wagner. The orphanage has “tiles” displaying similar. Youngsters in Kenya, whether from private or government schools, benefit from their generosity. Iris assured me that these outfits are transparent – true music to any Kenyan’s ears: every cent of every donor dollar goes back in. “William Holden”, Iris smiled, “used to be sent off to do a film when we needed a new tractor.” They pay their Kenyan staff, but everyone else (international staff) does it for love. But why is it always up to foreign donors? Kenya is surely reaching a place where we are able to give back – to join in protecting our natural resources. Isn’t it time we gave back to our priceless natural heritage?

Click Here to make a Donation Online

Outreach

The WHWF Education Centre also runs outreach programmes for rural schools and communities. Their Bongo Outreach Programme targeted 61,000 people in 2009: many didn’t even know this endangered antelope existed.

David took me to two of the five government schools where the WHWF have built libraries and kitchens. At Guara Primary it was heartening to see the spotless building housing offices, a lecture hall and a library with the emphasis being on conservation. Wathituga Primary had an older, more established library, creatively decorated with maps, charts and posters. They also had a kitchen with an innovative environmentally friendly cooking pot.

Facing the Future

Flying back to Nairobi, via Loisaba and Samburu, I had the chance to see the desperate drought below. A former lifeline, the Ewaso Nyiro River, fed by Mount Kenya’s streams had dried up. Here was a horrifying reminder of the importance of educating the next generation so they can endeavor to repair a frail future.

Useful Info

Getting There

The Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, Animal Orphanage and William Holden Wildlife Fund Education Centre are situated beside the Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club. Urgent assistance with funding is required.

Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy
Tel: +254 62 32788 / + 254 20 239 7751
Website: www.animalorphanagekenya.org
Donate: donate.animalorphanagekenya.org

Accommodation:
Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club
Tel: +254 20 226 5000
Email: Kenya.reservations@fairmont.com
Website: www.fairmont.com

Visit Destination magazine

breakthrough….

Dr. Kofi Annan, here to help the opposing sides negotiate, managed to get them to go together without conflict or incongruity and sign a pact which promises a better future. They have agreed to a power sharing government but more importantly they have agreed that the events we saw in January are not to be repeated. Ever.

Everyone is joyful at the news, almost forgotten are the differences, for now the yearning for assured peace is paramount.
A great wave of warm feelings goes out to Kofi Annan who did not waver in his resolve to bring the warring parties together. In gratitude game scouts in the Maasai Mara even named a new born Rhino calf “Kofi”. Cute!

But wait, this is a “white” Rhino. Of course “white” does not refer to its color, it only identifies it as the wide lipped Rhino, different from its smaller cousin the black Rhino, indiginous to Kenya.

Here at the Conservancy we wanted to take the hint and name one of our own after the great peacemaker to mark the joyous occasion. All the animals were called to a meeting chaired by yours truly, (I am still the Chaircat).

The council of animals decided that although they sport record long horns not seen elsewhere, our own Rhinos have little in common with Kofi the man and therefore did not deserve the honor of carrying his name.

• Rhinos, (the blacks more so than the whites) are more known for their ferociousness than their intelligence. (Not so Kofi the man)
• They can be highly dangerous when disturbed. (Not so Kofi.)
• They are loners when adult and stay away from others of their kind, (meeting only to mate). (Not so Kofi).
• When they do meet one another they fight often to the death, mostly over territory. (Not so Kofi).

After much debate the council of animals voted unanimously that the honor should go to our own “Speedy” the XL Aldabra Tortoise. Speedy has so much in common with the famous man Kofi. We could not deny the obvious similarities;

• He’s old and wise and has weathered many storms.
• He’s not really from Kenya but said to have African heritage.
• Unhasty, he advances slowly and he carefully calculates his every move.

our own “Speedy Kofi”

And yet when circumstance demands this guy can move with tremendous speed and maneuver his way safely and brilliantly through the most difficult situations. But most importantly he’s every ones respected friend. So with great fanfare we announce :
Speedy the Tortoise will henceforce be honored with the name of :

“Speedy Kofi”

Speedy Kofi : “sharing” power

And with that my friends, we count the days until you visit us here at Mount Kenya.

And then I saw it, the full moon illuminating the western sky, descending slowly toward the edge of the ranch.

I grabbed the camera and rushed off in the car, out into the bush still hidden by the night.

Striped and white zebra mingling with reedbuck, bushbuck and eland antelope in my view briefly as I come up on the plain, there is that magnificent moon again, lower now.

In the east the sky takes on color as it gets lighter by the minute and the mountain stands watch as the moon sinks below the trees racing the life giving sun still hidden by the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya.

The bush is still dark and I am alone and I am not afraid.

A herd of buffalo slowly makes its way down to the dam to drink, standing out now against the violet sky.

I don’t know what today will bring, what you will read in the papers about Kenya or what images they will show on TV. And I hope that you will not believe everything because: here I am alone in the African bush and I am not afraid.

This much I know: The people of Kenya stand united for peace and whatever stands in their way they will overcome.

Tomorrow there will be another splendid moon and another and another conquering the darkest nights.

The moon is very low now slipping through the clouds, striped, hiding, losing to the life-giving sun.

We will be watching over the animals and the nature around us to preserve for a better future, another moon, another reason for the birds to sing their wake-up songs early, celebrating the dawn of another beautiful day in Africa.

Thank you for your concerns.

Your support means so much to every peace-loving Kenyan and to all of us here.

After some trying days for Kenyans following the Dec 27 elections here, all seems to be quieting down with the dawn of a New Year.

At the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, where the interests of our wildlife are paramount we have felt none of the clashes and unrest that have rocked some parts of Kenya.

The men and women that work here looking after the animals and the land are culturally as diverse as the animals are different. We are proud to report that we are all still the best of friends here, men, women, beast and all!

This is what the animals have taught us: In order to survive each creature has to have his or her rightful place and space that allows for respect for one to another.

Sometimes this proves a little complicated…

but, as was the case with Brandy in the tub, a little diplomacy helped put her firmly back in her place.

Often quarters get a little crowded, but team spirit prevails even if we have to double up

There are those that always find reason to shout

and others are just plain pigs

Which makes the rest of us roar with laughter.

Here’s wishing you all a happy New Year blessed with peace and love for all God’s creatures.

Greetings from all the folks and beast at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy.

But not so at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy where the interests of wildlife are paramount.

Thanks to our dedicated wardens and keepers sacrificing their own holiday, the animals will benefit from their special care all through the season.

2007 has seen great achievements at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy.

• More than 75 captive bred and otherwise extinct white zebras have been released and can now be seen roaming in the wilderness of the Mount Kenya forests.
• A total of 54 needy wild animals have been treated and/or rehabilitated at the refuge of our animal orphanage.
• Our bongo breeding program has just been graced with the 49th birth and counting….
• The first test group of bongo for release have been identified and work to fit satellite radio transmitters is progressing well.
• Our Cheetah breeding program is ongoing. We hope of more success in 2008.

Like a candle in the wind, we need your support to keep the flame alive.
Together we can make a difference.

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season in the hopes that the New Year will bring all that your heart desires.

Thank you for your continued support.
Don and Iris Hunt
with Donald Bunge, Peter Fundi, JaneOyugi
and all of us here at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy.

I dreamt that a new party wanted me as their symbol.

Because I never change my spots, they said. I had to consider this very carfully because I already serve as Chaircat on the board of the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy. So I asked them what this new party was all about.

I had heard about such things. Here in Kenya they used to have a cockerel for one party and a donkey for another.

 The donkey is popular because they use it in America too. Then an African, the mighty elephant was given the job of symbol for another party. It didn’t mean too much because the only african american presidential hopeful  there did not join the party with the african elephant. He went for the donkey. The incumbent there stands with the elephant. Maybe because his name suggests that without him even the mighty elephant cannot survive. It’s all very complicated.

Obviously the position of a party symbol is an honor that could be a disaster in the making, so I asked many questions.

The party, they said, was not political. It was not religeous either. It didn’t even belong to any one country. The members could be of any race or species from worms to elephants and apes to humans. All had a right to live on earth but only in the order allocated by voting. Each species’ voting power had to do with how  much food they represented to other species and how much they consumed. An interesting concept but it left me way down the food chain as a major consumer. Humans also did not do too well but promised to compete more honestly. I remember the honey bee was so outstanding they almost offered her the position of symbol.

Then I woke up and realized it was only a dream. Maybe you can finish the dream for me.

I must apologize for my prolonged absence…

Lately developments here the animal Orphanage have seen me literally pushed into the background. I have not been privileged to share the affections of our lovely female Cheetah Isis. For some time now, preference and visitation privileges have favored the handsome Cheetah “Sultan.”

Sadly for her, Isis has equally rejected the Sultan’s advances. After all, his beauty is only spotted skin deep. At last they have permitted us back to visit and enjoy female feline companionship on a regular basis again. Lately there is talk of settling other female replica near us. The accommodations are almost ready and we are most excited about the prospects. Meanwhile, we look forward for you to visit us at our Sanctuary here at the Orphanage.

His films have in the past focused on the Conservancy’s progress and drawn attention to the need to rehabilitate this unique magnificent Antelope to their rightful ancestral home on Mount Kenya.

Meanwhile, our new neighbors managing the Mount Kenya Safari Club are the famed Fairmont Hotels and Resorts group. Already we have met and befriended many of their talented leaders, a group of passionate, charismatic professionals whose mission is to:

“Celebrate Kenya and provide services that enrich the experiences and turn moments into memories for our guests.”

A motto after my own heart!

And with that my dear friends, I leave you to enjoy a truly Kenyan story where courage, love and determination overcame insurmountable obstacles and paved the way to freedom for many of the countries much loved gentle giants.

And it all started here at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy’s Animal Orphanage!

Our short rainy season started early this year, and very welcome after the devastating drought of the first 6 months which cost the lives of many of our older friends in the animal world.

In-between the storm clouds, God’s mountain reveal itself dressed in white, as if to prepare for the festive season ahead. The Conservancy is green and sparkling with dew and clusters of color from the wild flowers and shrubs. The early rain has brought an abundance of colorful tropical birds as well, all chattering with the message of plentiful food for all.

Our feature story for the holidays: The Last Wilderness, describes one of the most beautiful parts of Kenya, a harsh and hot place of rugged beauty, seldom seen by the average visitor. This is one of the few places left on earth where the vast herds of game still roam freely.

But back to the birds… of another kind: Our friend and supporter Tim Lapage reports on his airborne Safari of 2004. A unique trip of adventure from Ethiopia to the Cape of Good Hope at the “bottom of Africa” piloting his own plane with precious cargo: Read all about it in our section: Safari Sampler.

In our own world here at the Conservancy there’s good news too. We have seen 4 new baby bongos born so far this year. If my big amber eyes don’t fool me, I would say, eyeing the bongo herd nearby every early morning, that we can with certainty expect to have two more additions before the year is out. It is wonderful to see the young at play, knowing that their future will be in the dense Mount Kenya forests where their ancestors once roamed.

As for us, the spotted Sphinx Diana, Bill and myself, and our visiting friend Sultan, we have been busy sorting out our own “private lives and territories” in our new breeding bomas. As yet there is no special announcement to be made, but believe me, we are working on it!!

We wish all our friends and supporters from all over the world a very happy holiday season. Your continued support is essential to our survival in the wild.