The Born Free Foundation is a conservation and animal rescue organization in the United Kingdom. It originated in 1984 as the "Zoo Check Campaign" by actors Virginia McKenna and her husband Bill Travers along with their son Will Travers and four associates.[1]
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McKenna and Travers had been greatly affected by the plight of wild animals after starring together in the 1966 film Born Free which told the story of George and Joy Adamson as they returned Elsa the Lioness to the wilds of Africa.[2] They appeared in several more films about animals and produced wildlife and anti-zoo documentaries for television.
The Born Free Foundation Limited was officially established on 20 July 1998, and as an umbrella organisation it consists today of the Zoo Check Campaign, Elefriends Campaign, Wolf Campaign, Dolphin Campaign, Primate Campaign, Big Cat Campaign, and the Bear Campaign. It is a charity registered in England & Wales.[3]
The Born Free Foundation undertakes animal welfare, conservation and public awareness campaigns to prevent animal abuse and to keep wildlife in its natural habitat. Its logo is a lion, which its website states is a likeness of Elsa.
The foundation, which is part of the International Tiger Coalition (ITC),[4] has two big cat sanctuaries in South Africa at the Shamwari Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape. Several lions and leopards have been rescued from appalling conditions all over the world and returned to their native home: Africa. The two sanctuaries also serve as education centres for school children from all over. Up to 500 scholars visit the centres each month.
On Saturday 14 November 2009 Bryan Adams, Martin Clunes, Gabriella Cilmi, Mutya Buena, Joanna Lumley and many other celebrity supporters gathered at the Royal Albert Hall to help save 25,000 wild animals and commemorate the Born Free Foundation’s 25th Anniversary year.[5]