01 January, 1964

Rounding up wild horses on Mount Kenya near Gilgil. The photo is part of a photo reportage Ulrich Mack made after he had experienced a terrifying incident in Tanganyika, nowadays Tanzania.

Mack was on his way to Zanzibar on an assignment for Quick magazine, when he got caught up in the Tanganyika military mutiny in January 1964. He was severely beaten by rebelling soldiers, after they caught him photographing other scenes of beatings. The following day, he found himself put against a wall of the military barracks to be shot, together with Italian film director Gualtiero Jacopetti and his cameraman Antonio Climati, who had also been arrested while working there. After a frightful thirty minutes, the German photographer and Italian filmmakers were released, saved by their nationality not being British. Jacopetti and Mack became friends, and on their way to Nairobi, Jacopetti invited Mack to travel with him to Mount Kenya to photograph the wild mustangs. While he was standing between the prancing horses, Mack captured the herd with extraordinary liveliness. Fifteen images were exhibited at the 1964 World Press Photo exhibition and Awards Ceremony.