The Chaircat's Blog

News and opinions from the born free, critters and their human friends as overheard by Duma Duke

Father Christmas really lives on Mount Kenya

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

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 Time [...]

Goodbye Jolly Good Fellow

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

“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 the [...]

The BBC captures our Bongo

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

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 Kenya [...]

Change Indeed…

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

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 ‘ bongo joined [...]

A Bongo Kaleidoscope – as observed by Lilli

Friday, June 6th, 2008

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 apart, [...]

Out & About : Meeting Don’s Baby Boomers

Sunday, May 4th, 2008

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 in [...]

All’s quiet

Monday, February 11th, 2008

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.
They will [...]

Life goes on…

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

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 [...]

Mount Kenya celebrates…..

Sunday, January 13th, 2008

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 it were, [...]

Google goes for Bongo

Saturday, October 27th, 2007

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 it [...]

OBAMA it is!

Monday, August 20th, 2007

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 bongo named Noah.
OBAMA [...]

Life goes on….

Sunday, August 19th, 2007

Another exciting “birth” day!! One more addition to our baby boomers! A healthy male baby bongo was born to our herd. His mother was originally donated by the kind folk of the San Diego Zoo, his father, a true Kenyan! Mother and baby are safely guarded, just in case.
The news about the recent incidents [...]

Bongo Boomers

Tuesday, July 31st, 2007

Since the last Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy’s update from June.
We have had another baby Bongo. This one was born at the Animal Orphanage where they had moved the mother to give her a safe place for birthing.
She experienced previous difficulty, but this one went fine. Peter Fundi and Bunge were on ’standby’  but the event [...]

The Chaircat’s Letter of December 2006

Friday, December 1st, 2006

My dear Friends,
With the holiday season in full swing and the New Year on the doorstep I have much good news to report.
At long last it has now been confirmed that one small group of Bongo still survives on Mount Kenya. The group are reported to live in a remote area of dense forest, almost [...]

The Chaircat’s Letter of November 2005

Sunday, November 20th, 2005

Christmas is almost here! November is a very special month in Kenya.
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, [...]