About Born Free Foundation
The Born Free Foundation is a high-profile charity, founded by actors Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers following their starring roles in the classic film 'Born Free'.
Born Free works throughout the world to alleviate suffering, investigate cruelty and encourage everyone to treat wildlife with respect. It believes the confinement of wild animals for human entertainment should be a thing of the past and works to phase out traditional zoos, unjustified captivity and to keep wildlife in the wild.
Born Free is dedicated to the protection of threatened species in their natural habitat and works with local communities around the world to help people and wildlife live together without conflict. Its international projects protect lions, tigers, leopards, elephants, turtles, rhinos, gorillas, chimpanzees, dolphins, orcas, wolves, polar bears, otters and animals in captivity.
The Born Free head office is based in West Sussex, UK, with sub-offices in London, Lincolnshire and Scotland. Born Free UK has a highly-motivated team of committed staff and dedicated volunteers in four main departments - campaigns, administration, marketing and public relations. Born Free also employs wildlife consultants, scientific experts, project managers, field workers and education officers in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Born Free has a growing global band of supporters - both individuals and organisations. It is all about teamwork and every member, donor, adopter and business friend has a vital role. The public can join Born Free as ordinary members, as MemberPlus or MemberPlus Gold supporters, or can adopt individual animals. WildCrew, Born Free's club for really wild kids, has three separate age groups for young people aged four to 16 years.
Our history
In 1964, Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna starred in the film classic 'Born Free', the true story of George and Joy Adamson and their fight to return Elsa the lioness to the wild. The Adamsons inspired a generation, changing the world's attitude to wildlife forever.
Making Born Free profoundly affected Bill and Virginia. Working with George and Joy influenced the rest of their lives - their close contact with the lions sparked a lifelong commitment to wildlife and they realised wild animals belong in the wild, not caged up in captivity.
Bill began to produce wildlife documentaries and animal films including 'Ring of Bright Water' and 'An Elephant Called Slowly', which starred Pole Pole the little elephant calf. Pole Pole was only two when she was snatched from her wild family as a gift from the Kenyan government to London Zoo. After 14 years of misery and frustration, Pole Pole died in captivity in 1984. But her short life was not in vain.
Horrified by her untimely death, Bill and Virginia launched Zoo Check with their son Will Travers. Since 1984, Zoo Check has campaigned to end the institutionalised confinement of wild animals for human entertainment and to investigate, expose and alleviate the suffering, abuse, and neglect endured by captive animals worldwide. Under its slogan 'Keep Wildlife in the Wild', Zoo Check campaigns to phase out traditional zoos.
In 1989, Africa's elephants faced mass destruction thanks to human greed and the bloody ivory trade. Elefriends was formed to combat the brutal slaughter and to directly support anti-poaching activities in the field. Elefriends' massive 1.9 million-name 'Bloody Ivory' petition helped bring about an international ivory trade ban. Elefriends continues to campaign for elephant protection in Africa and Asia.
In 1990, several new projects were launched including wolf conservation, dolphin rescue and release and rescue of orphan chimpanzees. In 1991 the 'Born Free Foundation' was officially established to bring all the projects under one dynamic barrier.
Bill Travers died in 1994, but his powerful legacy lives on in the growing work of the foundation. Today, led by Will Travers, Born Free is a dynamic and high-profile organisation, working throughout the world to prevent exploitation and protect wild animals in their natural environment.
Virginia McKenna continues as Born Free's voluntary ambassador. "Working with compassion and respect to educate and conserve, we can help ensure that this fragile planet and all its wonderful wild inhabitants can continue to survive for generations to come," she says.
At the core of Born Free lies the individual - the individual animals it helps and individual people making a difference. It believes that working together, they can change things for the better and its action for animals has only been possible because of Born Free members, adopters and sponsors.