Dear Friends, It has been an exciting long year! Duma Duke has not been too talkative of late. Exercising his well-earned right of seniority, he prefers to laze around, showing off his still impressive magnificence. He and siblings are up early each morning on their high “throne” overlooking all the other residents of the Orphanage [...]
While over 60 million viewers delighted in watching the royal English wedding, we were having a bit of fun with our own Ms. Kate and her friends at the Animal Orphanage. Do you have a “Prince for Ms. Kate,” you asked. While Prince William and his beautiful bride followed their heart, but there’s no such [...]
A little more than 6 months ago we named this little new born baby bongo “Ms Kate” at the Animal Orphanage. She has since stolen all of our hearts with her beauty and totally loving personality. The royal wedding fever has not missed the slopes of Mount Kenya, so Bea, Fundi and the keepers are [...]
One night late last year high on the Mountain above us, secret romance did its magic. Prince William proposed to his long time love Kate Middleton and she gracefully accepted to become his future Queen of England. That same night a baby bongo was born, (almost within earshot of the lone lovers, we like to [...]
This year it was to be different – that gift of real, lasting value for your special someone. After all, Christmas is the season of giving… A mere few days away from prominently displaying your find under the Christmas tree it becomes painfully clear that you’ve left it too late again – or did Father [...]
“He who has done his best for his own time has lived for all times” – fitting words of wisdom by famous poet Schiller for the Bongo Boy who quietly left us this summer but will forever remain very special to us. Noah – once bright chestnut colored, his coat darkened with age. Almost black at [...]
January 2004 in retrospect: The BBC amongst other reputed television networks reports the return of 20 of Africa’s rarest and most elusive antelope, the Mountain Bongo, to Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy. 5 years on – January 2009: In anticipation of a first wilderness release later this year, a BBC film crew has returned to Mount [...]
A great New Years gift awaited us on January first: Bongo mother ‘Baraka’ gave birth to a healthy female calf during the night. Mother Baraka (Kiswahili for BLESSING) was one of the first group of bongo calves born to the ‘native American’ mothers that were returned to Kenya. Four days into 2009 another little ‘girl [...]
10 May 2008 – Ajabu’s big day. In the lush surroundings of her beautiful forest home at Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, she has chosen this day for the arrival of her firstborn. Nature sees to it that, instinctively, mother and young will always find each other but how do we, their human caretakers, tell them [...]
These are some of the latest youngsters born to the resident herd of Bongo bred at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy. Only separated by a few months in age, these young animals have formed a friendship that will last for life. As seen here, only one “teenage” female is “in charge.” While the mothers browse [...]
Another 2008 baby bongo! A fine strong young male was born to the Conservancy’s dam “Liz” bringing the total number to 52. I won’t bore you with another picture. Its just so exiting, we are barely in the second month and have 3 healthy baby bongos already. The odd bit is: they are all males. [...]
Another beautiful day here at Mount Kenya and another delightful surprise: Barely two weeks after the grand entrance of Bongo baby No. 50, here now is No. 51!! He was born to “Wasi-wasi” which, losely translated means crazy (as in nervous). That is indeed the reason why I don’t yet have a decent picture of [...]
Our slightly delayed New Years gift: A healthy male baby bongo finally made his grand entry. The arrival of ‘Hamsini‘ marks the 50th Mountain Bongo to join the herd at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, earmarked for re-introduction to the wild. We expected the birth to take place around the first of January. but as [...]
This week marked a big step forward in the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy’s Bongo rehabilitation to Mount Kenya project. We welcomed once again Ron Surratt, chairman of the U.S based Bongo Species Survival Program, our partners in this important conservation project. This time he was able to bring the long awaited satellite transmitter and attached [...]
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present: OBAMA That is what we unanimously named our latest arrival bongo baby boomer No. 9. Born at the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, OBAMA comes with an American background (his dam was raised at the San Diego Zoo) and Kenyan roots of course, his sire is a native Kenyan born [...]