William Holden Wildlife Foundation: History

Don Hunt was associated with animals for most of his life at the time when he came to East Africa to film some episodes for his successful U.S. children’s TV show called Bwana Don. He too was captivated by a fascination for all things East African, but most of all, he and Bill cemented their relationship through their love of nature and the extraordinary wildlife in their midst. As kindred spirits, they shared their concern for the herds of animals whose numbers were beginning to diminish, however subtly. What began as an ongoing discussion became a reality when the major’s land came up for sale and the Mount Kenya Game Ranch was born.

It is important to remember that conservation, preservation, and even the concept of “ecology” were ideas that would only become popular vernacular many years after the creation of the Mount Kenya Game Ranch. Green movements in the US and the UK brought wildlife conservation awareness to the world through tee shirts bearing the face of a baby seal that came onto our streets and into our lives.

WHWF always has young ones around – and lots of
caretakers and teachers to help nurture and guide.

Bill and Don were joined by Julian McKeand, then a professional hunter and Iris Breidenbend, who became Iris Hunt. Together they created a game ranch with captive breeding programs of 37 East African species and an animal orphanage where Iris has raised generations of rescued orphans, sometimes bringing them back to health from the brink of death.

One of the most rare species on the game ranch is the East African bongo (a shy medium sized forest dwelling antelope). The partners made the bongo the symbol of the game ranch and its logo.

Throughout his life, William Holden continued his wholehearted support of the game ranch and often referred to it as the greatest work of his life, over and above all of his films. William Holden’s untimely death in 1981 brought his life to an end but not his work. In 1973 William Holden brought another person into his life and into his dream, Stefanie Powers, who was swept up by Bill’s contagious enthusiasm for Africa and together with the Hunts, formed the William Holden Wildlife Foundation to carry out the unfinished work and carry on with the dream.