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A Brief History |
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In 1959, Dr. Andreas Von Nagy bought a piece of land in Usa River with
the intention of establishing a home for himself and his family.
Dr. Von Nagy, who graduated from the College of Hunting &
Wildlife Management in Hannover-Muenden, Germany in the 1950’s, had
previously worked in a number of hunting and wildlife related positions
in both Austria and Germany. Prior to that, he had been very active in
the rehabilitation of wildlife in Hungary (where he was born) after the
Second World War. It was therefore no surprise that he became a renowned
personality in Hunting and Wildlife Management in Tanzania during the
1960’s and 1970’s.
Initially, Dr. Von Nagy made a meagre living collecting
specimens of animals, insects and birds for various European Museums. In
order to supplement his income for the family, He therefore started
conducting professional safaris.
The additional income which he generated through these
safaris allowed him slowly to develop his property in Usa River which,
up until then, was very basic indeed consisting of an old shack and just
two small rooms. Supplies of both electricity and water were added and
cottages built around the main house in order to accommodate family
members, friends and of course clients of his growing safari business.
It was not long before his home became a very popular
stop-over for everyone travelling to and within Tanzania. Hunters,
conservationists, researchers and tourists from all over the world
considered it a must to stay with the family in Usa River.
As the tourist Industry in Tanzania grew and accommodation
facilities became more and more limited, additional cottages were added
to the property in the late 1960's and slowly but surely, the family
home took on the role of a small Lodge.
Due to his by now widely known and respected work in the area
of Wildlife Conservation, Dr. Von Nagy and his family were brought an
ever growing number of orphaned or wounded animals in need of care.
Wherever possible, these animals were rehabilitated into the wild once
they were fully grown and it was believed that they could once again
survive on their own. In the meantime however, it was not unusual in
those days to see small lions strolling around the property or to have
Chimpanzees join in a tea party!
At this time, it occurred to Dr. von Nagy that many of the
local Tanzanian populationliving in towns had never seen the Wildlife of
their country and indeed had no opportunity to do so. In co-operation
with the Wildlife Department, he therefore established an Animal
Orphanage and Sanctuary on his property which he opened to the public
for a small fee. It soon became a very popular destination for Sunday
outings and school visits. Even today, it is common to meet Tanzanians
in all walks of life whose first contact with their wildlife heritage
was as a child at the Animal Sanctuary.
The Lodge and Sanctuary (as well as the continuing Safari business)
were run by Dr. Von Nagy and members of his family. They became a very
popular stop over for many VIP’s and Government visitors. Various
Presidents of African Countries, celebrities, and members of European
Royal families have stayed at the Lodge and a visit to the Sanctuary was
always included in the official itineraries of Government visitors when
in Arusha.
In 1985 Dr. von Nagy, now in his seventies, established a
small Museum in Hungary for his trophies and large collection of
original African artefacts. The Museum exists to this day and is very
popular indeed with the Hungarian public.
Dr. Von Nagy passed away in Hungary in 1994.
Source: Official site of
Mount Meru Game Lodge and Sanctuary (2009)
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