Africa's Big Five and Other Wildlife Filmmakers: A Centenary of Wildlife Filming in Kenya

Foreword

Foreword Jean Hartley’s study offers a unique and rather personal perspective on a group of people who have, over the past century, made wildlife and nature available to hundreds of millions of people across the world. It is the historical context that I find interesting and the subject of filmmaking is not one that most of us know much about or even think about. As a young teenager, growing up in Kenya and being the son of Louis Leakey who was running Kenya’s National Museum, I came to know many of the personalities whom the author writes about. From the 1950s when my parents built a small family home to the west of Nairobi, I became a frequent visitor to the Armand Denis menagerie and often made pocket money from Des Bartlett who needed ‘foolish’ volunteers to handle some of the animals he was filming. I say ‘foolish’ because more often than not, the animal would bite the ‘handler’ in an attempt to change its predicament. I have a list of ‘bite experiences’ that include chimps, monkeys, bush babies, mongoose, spiders and notveryvenomoussnakes.ItwasgreatfunforsureandImadeenough money to avoid asking my parents for cash that I needed to impress my limited circle of might be girlfriends. I am of the view that Armand Denis was a critical factor in bringing African wildlife to the screen. But it was Des Bartlett who took the opportunity that Armand provided, to mentor and encourage early cameramen who went on and have themselves inspired others. Des, Alan, Simon, Hugo and Bob have all played key roles that few people know about and this book provides a glimpse of who they were and who they are. Eco-tourism, environmental concern, conservation at the community level, support for the national parks of Africa, and an awakening of Africa’s Big Five and other Wildlife Filmmakers ix the global community to the challenges of climate change on a global scale are all areas where good wildlife documentaries have brought changes to people’s attitudes. It is fair to say that a few little-recognized men and women, over a period of a century, have made an enormous difference. The filmmakers are the unsung heroes and I am delighted that within the pages that follow a beginning has been made to recognise them. Popular concern for wildlife and nature cannot be taken for granted. Inspired filming and presentation must continue and I would say that the bar has been set high. I am personally grateful to Jean Hartley, a friend for many years, for taking the time to remind us. Richard Leakey, FRS May 2010 x Africa’s Big Five and other Wildlife Filmmakers ...