While at Hotel Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, it feels like you are a heartbeat away from tapping the canopy of the towering Mount Kenya.
Sitting within the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, there are many outdoor activities you can do here. And what is attracting guests now is the breeding and conserving of the endangered mountain bongos.
They book hotel stays, in addition to tracing excursions within the 700 acres of forest, a sanctuary for wild animals.
Ms Muthoni Migiwi feeding one of the oldest mountain bongos in the orphanage within the sanctuary at the Mt Kenya Wildlife conservancy in Nanyuki-based Fairmont hotel. PHOTO | IRENE MUGO | NMG
The hotel’s managing director, Mr Mehdi Morad, says the programme aims to ensure that the mountain bongos survive the extinction threat.
By re-wilding them, he says, the bongos would rebuild their wild instinct to survive outside the sanctuary.“So far, we have released five bongos into the wild in the last quarter. We aim to release about 10 annually,” he said, adding that the local community plays a huge role in the conservation efforts.
A mountain bongo at the Mt Kenya Wildlife conservancy in Nanyuki-based Fairmont hotel. PHOTO | IRENE MUGO | NMG
They plant trees to increase forest cover. “What we are doing is very important and has been workable because we have partnered with the community… conservation can only work if you engage the community. One hand cannot plough,” he said.
The oldest mountain bongo at this orphanage, Elizabeth, is 25 years old and was imported from an overseas zoo, just like all the other bongos.
The sanctuary is located about a kilometre from the hotel. Migwi Munene and his wife Muthoni Migwi drove to the Mt Kenya Fairmont hotel in Nanyuki for a weekend out and to celebrate their 13th marriage anniversary.
Bongo-tracking was one of the activities they indulged in during their four-day stay. “We were given a brief and asked to dress warmly as the weather can be chilly in the forest and wear loose clothes and shoes that have a grip. On arrival at the sanctuary, he handed us binoculars and a stick that would help us walk through the forests and make way through passible bushes,” says Mrs Migwi.“
Mr Migwi Munene and Ms Muthoni Migwi walking towards the sanctuary during an interview at the Mt Kenya Wildlife conservancy in Nanyuki-based Fairmont hotel. PHOTO | IRENE MUGO | NMG
And as we tracked the animals, they instructed us on what we should look out for. "The bongos have plants that they feed on, so the prevalence of the vegetation in an area was a key pointer to tracing the bongos."
Droppings are also a key pointer to tracking them, the guides can tell how old the droppings are. They also take samples to check if they are unwell.
The bongos’ footprints are also a lead to establishing the paths they are using and indicating if they are moving further into the forest or retreating.
It took us three hours to locate all the 70 bongos in the forest but when we did we saw a herd. It is breathtaking. They are not your usual antelopes.
A warden at the Mt Kenya Wildlife conservancy in Nanyuki-based Fairmont hotel explaining a detail to the couple after the interview. PHOTO | IRENE MUGO | NMG
"They are big and beautiful,” Mr Migwi said. All the bongos are named depending on their gender. They are names christened by guests who visit the Fairmont and adopt them for conservation purposes.
To adopt the animals, one can donate towards the conservation of the bongos, depending on one’s ability. The amount ranges from Sh50,000 and above.
After tracing our first bongo, the tour guides collected samples of their droppings and analysed their features to check for any signs of weaknesses and illnesses.
They also check for temperament and mannerisms. “Unless provoked, the animals are generally calm and one could easily pet them,” says Mr Migwi.“
A signboard of the mountain bongo sanctuary entrance at the Fairmont hotel located within the Mt Kenya Wildlife conservancy in Nanyuki. PHOTO | IRENE MUGO | NMG
It is a nature walk of sorts besides seeing the beautiful animals. The excursion stretches you. You interact with nature, which tests you and pushes your limits.”
Mrs Migwi described the experience as fun, adventurous and wholesome. “We hiked through the dark forest while sighting the beautiful bongos one by one was the best part of the entire experience,” she said.
