Born Free Foundation
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The Born Free Foundation originated in 1984 as the "Zoo Check Campaign" in Great Britain by actors Virginia McKenna her husband Bill Travers along with their son Will Travers and four associates.
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 true story of George and Joy Adamson as they returned Elsa the Lioness to the wilds of Africa. They appeared in several more films about animals and produced wildlife and anti-zoo documentaries for television.
The Foundation was officially established in 1991 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.
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 has two big cat sanctuaries in South Africa at the Shamwari Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape. Several lion and leopard have been rescued from appaling conditions all over the world and returned to their rightful home - Africa[citation needed]. The two sanctuaries also serve as education centres for school children from all over. Up to 500 scholars visit the centres each month.[citation needed]
