George Alexander Graham Adamson MBE (3 February 1906 – 20 August 1989), also known as the ''Baba ya Simba'' ("Father of Lions" in Swahili), was a Kenyan

wildlife conservation Wildlife conservation refers to the practice of protecting wild species and their habitats in order to maintain healthy wildlife species or populations and to restore, protect or enhance natural ecosystems. Major threats to wildlife include habita ...

ist and author. He and his wife,

Joy The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness. Dictionary definitions Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...

, were depicted in the film ''

Born Free ''Born Free'' is a 1966 British drama film starring the real-life couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson, another real-life couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her in ...

'' and best-selling book with the same title, which is based on the true story of

Elsa the Lioness Elsa the lioness ( 28 January 195624 January 1961) was a female lion raised along with her sisters "Big One" and "Lustica" by game warden George Adamson and his wife Joy Adamson after they were orphaned at only a few days old. Though her two sister ...

, an orphaned lioness cub they had raised and later released into the wild. Several other films have been made based on the Adamsons' lives.

Life

George Alexander Graham Adamson was born 3 February 1906 in

Etawah Etawah also known as Ishtikapuri is a city on the banks of Yamuna River in the state of Western Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Etawah District. Etawah's population of 256,838 (as per 2011 population census) ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

to English and Irish parents. He was educated at Dean Close School,

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

, England and moved to work on his father's coffee plantations

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hold ...

. After the death of his parents, he worked a series of jobs, which included time as a gold prospector, goat trader and professional

safari A safari (; ) is an overland journey to observe wild animals, especially in eastern or southern Africa. The so-called "Big Five" game animals of Africa – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo – particularly form an impor ...

hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

, before joining Kenya's wildlife department in

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the authoritarian regime. ** State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France ...

, working as game warden. Six years later, he married Friederike Victoria "Joy" Gessner. It was in 1956 that he raised the lioness cub, Elsa, who he helped to release into the wild and who became the subject of the 1966 feature film ''

'' based on the book written by Joy. Adamson retired as a Senior Wildlife Warden of the Northern Frontier District Province of Kenya (

Meru National Park Meru National Park is a Kenyan national park located east of Meru, from Nairobi. Covering an area of , it is one best known national parks in Kenya. Rainfall in this area is abundant with in the west of the park and in the east. The rainfall r ...

area) in 1961 and devoted himself to raising lions that could not look after themselves and training them to survive in the wild. In 1970, he moved to the Kora National Reserve in northern Kenya to continue the rehabilitation of captive or orphaned big cats for eventual reintroduction into the wild. George and Joy separated in 1970, but continued to spend Christmas holidays together until she was murdered on 3 January 1980.

Death

On 20 August 1989, George Adamson was murdered near his camp in

Kora National Park Kora National Park is located in Tana River County, Kenya. The park covers an area of 1,788 square kilometres. It is located 125 kilometres east of Mount Kenya. The park was initially gazetted as a nature reserve in 1973. It was gazetted as a nat ...

, by

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bandits, when he went to the rescue of his assistant and a young European tourist in the Kora National Park. He was 83 years old. George is buried in the Kora National Park next to his brother, Terrance and two lions named: Super Cub and Mugie, a lion released in Kora after George's death.

Film and television

*''

'' (1966), based on the book of the same name by Joy Adamson about

, that was rehabilitated into the wild, but remained in a friendly relationship with the Adamsons. The film stars

Virginia McKenna Dame Virginia Anne McKenna, (born 7 June 1931) is a British stage and screen actress, author and wildlife campaigner. She is best known for the films ''A Town Like Alice'' (1956), ''Carve Her Name with Pride'' (1958), ''Born Free'' (1966), and ...

as Joy Adamson and

Bill Travers William Inglis Lindon Travers (3 January 1922 – 29 March 1994) was a British actor, screenwriter, director and animal rights activist. Prior to his show business career, he served in the British army with Gurkha and special forces units. E ...

as George Adamson. George Adamson served as Chief Technical Advisor. *''The Lions Are Free'' (1967) is the true story of what happened to the lions Boy, Girl, Ugas, Mara, Henrietta and Little Elsa, and other lions which starred in ''Born Free''. George Adamson rehabilitated many of these lions after ''Born Free'' was completed. It is a documentary-style film about George Adamson and his lions. *''An Elephant Called Slowly'' (1969) is a travelogue featuring George Adamson, Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna. *''Lord of the Lions...Adamson of Africa'' was filmed in the Kora Reserve in Kenya only months before George was murdered (about 53 minutes) *'' Living Free'' (1972) is the sequel to ''Born Free''; it stars

Nigel Davenport Arthur Nigel Davenport (23 May 1928 – 25 October 2013) was an English stage, television and film actor, best known as the Duke of Norfolk and Lord Birkenhead in the Academy Award-winning films '' A Man for All Seasons'' and '' Chariots of F ...

as George Adamson and

Susan Hampshire Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, (born 12 May 1937) is an English actress known for her many television and film roles. A three-time Emmy Award winner, she won for '' The Forsyte Saga'' in 1970, ''The First Churchills'' in 1969, and for ''Vani ...

as Joy Adamson. *''Christian the Lion'' (1972) is a documentary of Christian the lion and his journey to George Adamson; it was written, produced and directed by Bill Travers and James Hill, the director of ''Born Free''. *''Born Free'' (1974 television series) is a loose adaptation starring Gary Collins and

Diana Muldaur Diana Muldaur (born August 19, 1938) is an American film and television actress. Muldaur's television roles include Rosalind Shays on '' L.A. Law'' and Dr. Katherine Pulaski in the second season of '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. She als ...

. *'' To Walk With Lions'' (1999), a feature film, starred

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...

as George Adamson. *"The Born Free Legacy" is a BBC documentary from 2010. *"Elsa's Legacy: The Born Free Story" is a ''Nature'' PBS documentary episode from 2011.

Bibliography

* ''Bwana Game: The Life Story of George Adamson'', Collins & Harvill (April 1968), *''A Lifetime With Lions'', Doubleday (1st ed. in the U.S.A.) (1968), ASIN B0006BQAZW * ''My Pride and Joy: Autobiography'', The Harvill Press (22 September 1986),

References

External links

George Adamson
Website featuring photos, letters and much information on George Adamson.
George Adamson Wildlife Preservation TrustAnimated website for kids.
Meet Dotty Rhino & her friends who live in Mkomazi, a real-life game reserve in Africa.
WildLifeNow – African Wildlife Preservation Trust websiteBorn Free Foundation website
– drawing of George Adamson with Boy and Christian by artist

Gary Hodges Gary Hodges (born 1954) is a British artist and publisher much admired internationally for his graphite pencil wildlife art."Drawn to the Soul" Wild Press, Introduction by Simon Trapnell, 2010, His original drawings and limited edition prints h ...