On this day, 107 years ago, a little boy was born in O’Fallon, Illinois, the oldest of three sons of William Franklin Beedle, Sr. and Mary Blanche Beedle. Had his destiny laid in the cornfields of the midwest, we might have never known this man’s compassionate heart and love for the earth, but thankfully fate had other plans for young William, Jr. His family moved to Pasadena when he was three years old and after high school, he attended what is now Pasadena City College where he joined the drama club and participated in radio plays. The scout who discovered him christened him William Holden, helped him obtain his first major role in Golden Boy, and the rest is history. He starred in over eighty movies, but he was most proud of his behind-the-scenes work as a conservationist. Originally drawn to Kenya as a big game hunter, Mr. Holden laid down his rifle for good when he killed an antelope that reminded him of Audrey Hepburn.

What kind of antelope could possibly bear a resemblance to such an elegant lady?

Meet the gerenuk, the sole member of the Litocranius genus and one of the least known antelopes. It is found in semi-arid brushland in Kenya, Somalia and northeast Tanzania and its name comes from the Somali word garanuug, which means “giraffe-necked”. Unlike other antelope, the gerenuk stands on its hind legs to eat fruit, leaves, buds and browse from tree branches, and even more amazing is the fact they never have to seek out sources of water. All the hydration they ever need comes from the vegetation they eat. Male gerenuks have horns and glands near their eyes that secrete a tar like substance they use to mark tree branches and trunks as their territory. When it’s time to mate, the female initiates contact by raising her nose and flattening her ears – the male will then present his neck to her and mark her with his scent glands before giving her a tap or gentle kick with his foreleg. When mating is successful, the female is pregnant for seven months. Newborns can stand a few minutes after birth and spend nine to ten hours a day hiding in piles of leaves and in bushes for protection. When they are fully grown, females weigh between 62 to 100 pounds and the males weigh between 68 to 115 pounds; they can run up to 40 miles per hour, which is essential for escaping the lions, cheetahs and hyenas that prey upon them. Of course, as is the case with so many species, gerenuks are threatened by habitat loss and over the past 14 years, their populations have decreased by 25%.

Please take a moment today to learn more about this amazing man and his legacy at the William Holden Wildlife Foundation. Happy heavenly birthday sir! We care and we’re still listening!