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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
Ranch
In 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.
The Work Begins
Bill went back to Hollywood to make movies to provide much of
the initial investment needed to begin development of the Mount Kenya
Game Ranch towards its ultimate objective- the preservation of
endangered wildlife and its regeneration, where indicated, through
selective breeding programs.
Don and the others stayed on to get the work started and,
from the outset, he and Iris spent much time on safari, moving animals
out of areas earmarked by the government for resettlement of the poor
and landless.
Bill joined the couple whenever he could, never losing his
youthful enthusiasm for life in the wild- the wilder the better,
including the always hazardous capture operations.
Julian stayed behind to supervise development of the ranch
infrastructure and to deal with the new African government authorities
in Nairobi. President Jomo Kenyatta himself - the well-loved founding
"Father of the Nation" -took an immediate and lasting interest in the
project. He often directed Don and his crew to particular areas of
human-wildlife conflict, seeking their help in the translocation of
vulnerable animals. He took much pleasure in initiating a program to
assist in the re-stocking of wildlife parks in other African countries,
for which he was later inducted into The International Conservation Hall
of Fame.
Slowly the Ranch filled with rescued wild animals and,
whenever a surplus of stock accumulated, some of the animals would be
sent not only to African reserves, but also to established, carefully
vetted zoological parks in the U.S.
Many of these animals would form the nucleus of breeding
herds, from which, in due course, viable family groups could be returned
to their original habitats where the species had been depleted to the
point of local extinction.
Iris's
Menagerie
While Don occupied himself with the main operations, Iris
found herself more and more required to take responsibility for the
young, often sick and dying wildlife casualties of the pressure zones in
Kenya and elsewhere on the continent.
These were "orphans of the wild" in need of a new home - of
care and resuscitation in the safe environment of the Ranch. As the
menace of poaching grew, so the flow of motherless orphans onto the
Ranch increased to the point that Iris's home and garden could no longer
double as a refuge for wild baby animals. She then set herself the task
of building a permanent facility from what had been Betty-Ann's old
chicken coops.
The wildlife waifs - mostly guests, but also a few permanent
residents - were thus provided with a new home and compound, which she
named, formally, The Mount Kenya Animal Orphanage.
Iris then drew on the experience of game scouts, game
wardens, vets, and others to refine the care program, which included
training a staff of African keepers and developing "survival diets" for
the most-at-risk infant orphans. One of her early supporters and
advisers was the well-respected Kenyan National Park Warden Bill
Woodley.
Neighbors and visitors soon became used to seeing Iris with a
baby elephant or giraffe or brood of baby cheetah in tow - or most
memorably for some - a boisterous scamp of a young chimp in her arms.
Often, wherever possible, the orphanage "graduates," a never-ending
stream of them, would be returned to their natural homes all across
Africa.
One inflexible principle Iris has always applied in the
running of her project is that none of the animals would ever be
treated, assigned or consigned to anyone as pets. Her strong view has
been that, no matter how endearing they become, they would all remain as
nature intended - wild animals, free in particular of human
anthropomorphic sentiment.
In any event, the process of rehabilitation and release is
never easy. But it is the consistent aim of the Ranch and Orphanage -
and the success rate among Iris's "bush graduates" clearly attests to
the fact that she and her team are, as she puts it "at least on the
right track.
Whereas the saving of a few orphans may not count in the
overall picture of conservation, it plays a primary part in how much
attention and respect we should pay to nature and the environment as a
whole. Since Iris started the Animal Orphanage, she has invited more
than 100,000 African students to visit and take part in its conservation
programs. Neither the Mount Kenya Game Ranch nor the Animal Orphanage is
a charity or trust. Nor does either one provide salaried employment for
its owners or directors. The dedicated staff get paid, but no one else.
Visitor tickets to the Orphanage have helped. But the
receipts have never been nearly enough to meet the costs. The facility
has been funded from the start through money earned not begged or
otherwise solicited as donations.
A
Memorial to Bill
The sudden tragic death of Bill Holden in 1981 was a great
shock for Don and Iris and an irreplaceable loss for the partnership.
But the couple recommitted themselves to the project and continued to
meet most of the cost over-runs from their own personal earnings and
savings.
They joined with actress Stefanie Powers in contributing to
the creation of a unique permanent memorial to their close friend
through the fulfilment of his long-standing wish to draw the new
generations of young Africans into the cause of preserving their own
natural heritage. He'd had in mind a structured program of
encouragement, information and education and it was for this purpose
that the William Holden Wildlife Education Center was conceived and
developed.
Don and Iris donated the land for the Education Center and
the investment finance was provided by Stefanie and the legions of
people who had valued what Bill Holden had given them, either personally
or through his accomplished work.
The facility was duly constructed and, since 1982, the
student intake from Kenyan Schools for its program of short courses has
built up to a total of 7,000 a year.
Some time after the inception of the project, Stefanie joined
the Mount Kenya Game Ranch Board of Directors. She has remained deeply
involved in the Foundation, but also frequently works with Iris and the
staff of the Orphanage, helping in whatever way she can.
Along with Iris, she has almost a religious conviction that
all creatures have a right to a secure life on the planet and that
humans, the dominant species at the top of the food chain, have a duty
to ensure that African wildlife - not exclusively, but in particular -
continues to share the earth's natural resources in its natural
environment.
Future
Plans
The Mount Kenya Game Ranch/Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy
is now a recognized and significant link in the world-wide network of
conservation organizations.
It is currently home to some 28 species - around 1500 animals
- all of which are the progeny of the individuals and small family
groups rescued from threatened wildlife range and forest areas under the
direction of the Kenya Government in the seventies and eighties.
Kenya has come a long way in the field of conservation, with
its various Tourism & Wildlife Services still maintaining the largest
land area in Africa given over exclusively to wild flora and fauna.
Mount Kenya has been recognized by the United Nations as a
World Heritage Site and with a renewed commitment made by the new
government of President Mwai Kibaki, it will almost certainly remain a
primary world attraction for the present and hopefully for future
generations.
As always, the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy will make its
contribution, not least with a main objective of restocking the forest
parks with its own emblematic Bongo Antelope.
Source: Official web of
Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (2009)
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