Iris Breidenbend

Iris Breidenbend (later Iris Hunt) was a stewardess with EAA during the 1960s. 

(following dedication by Floian Schoellr)

Iris Hunt passed away in the night of 26 to 27 December 2015.

Iris’ life was closely intertwined with the history of the Mount Kenya Game Ranch and the Wildlife Conservancy. As a young woman in Nairobi she met and fell in love with Don Hunt, the animal documentary legend. At that time, Don and William Holden were founding the ranch on Mount Kenya with the aim of giving a home to animals that had no chance of survival in the wild. From the outset, Iris played a key role in building up the ranch and her numerous installations, such as the Animal Orphanage, together with her love of Kenya, of nature and her devotion to animals have shaped the life and the history of the ranch.

But Iris was far more than just one of the founders of the Game Ranch. Above all, she was a role model for me. She was a free spirit, displaying boundless courage and independence in the pursuit of her convictions, while at the same time remaining one of the most feminine, graceful and elegant women I have known. Iris had no children, but today, the many animals she raised in her more than 50 years in Kenya mourn their mother. With Iris’s passing, we have all lost the person whose enthralling tales about her animals brought a bit of Africa into our homes.

Our thoughts are with Don, who continues to manage the Mount Kenya Wild Life Conservancy.