My dear Friends,
As usual I talk to you during the onset of the rains when nature renews itself in our neighborhood. This year has brought delay, not just in the onset of the rains.
As you are all no doubt aware the beginning of 2008 in Kenya was nothing for any decent Cheetah (or other) to write home about, indeed humans around here are still ashamed of what has taken place that left such a nasty mark on the history of this otherwise exceptional country. There are in fauna related literature a number of fables with lessons on the consequences of such primeval ('animalistic') behavior. Even amongst the media, members accused each other of a "feeding frenzy" over reporting the events, something otherwise only witnessed amongst sharks or the like.
While still baffled that such behavior in humans is always likened to the animal world when we all know that man is the biggest predator of us all, I am at least happy to report that all is peaceful at last. For once no beast was to blame, and faced with their own vulnerable mortality, humans borrowed another leaf from the animal world. They realized the truth of the wisdom of taking only what one needs to survive from nature, and suddenly there is room for all.
Conflict like the one Kenyans have recently been exposed to often bring out the heroes, the leaders among the masses.
One of the first visitors back to Kenya was our loyal supporter 'Lilli,' Juliane Polster who braved a crowded customs hall at Nairobi Airport to clear twelve boxes of "Goodies" she had collected to give away to young Kenyan students that visit the Conservancy.
Lilli is still here, visiting us every day and delighting in spending her vacation mingling with the children, making their first acquaintance with the wild animals a special unforgettable experience for them and for herself.
Today once again we are treated to nature's unique entertainment as rain clouds part to a dramatic curtain opening onto Mount Kenya's peaks dipped in the orange and lilac pinks of the setting sun reflected in the freshly deposited snow. In a few hours the snow has melted, leaving behind the visibly shrinking glaciers, silent evidence of rapidly advancing climate change. Mount Kenya and the Aberdares are vital to Kenya's survival as a food basket in the region. Her streams are feeding the forests and plains that harbor a safe heaven for our unequalled wildlife.
Use the form below to make a one-time donation in any amount to help support the important work of the Conservancy.
Many animals, including injured animals and those made orphans by poachers, are available for adoption. You can adopt one, either for yourself or in the name of someone you love, as a gift: Adoption Information
For more information, please visit our Donate Page.
With your help this unique ecosystem can be saved for ever. By supporting the work of the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, you will help focus attention on Mount Kenya's flagship species, the magnificent and rare mountain bongo antelope. At present the Conservancy holds 54 of these animals in various stages of readiness for their return to their ancestral mountain forest. If we can safely return the bongo, their mountain habitat so vital to all species and most of all man, will be saved for future generations.
Your donation is only a click away.
Your pledge will make a difference to so many animals here whose lives and return to the wild depend on your generosity.
Yours most devoted,
