Born Free USA In The News

The animal and wildlife conservation group Born Free USA is asking people to be particularly conscious of the vital role birds play in the environmental balance of nature when they celebrate Earth Day on Friday, April 22.

Link: Orlando Sentinel

Click this image to watch the interview!

Born Free USA recently completed a landmark investigation into the cruel world of trapping for the fur industry. The investigation, “Victims of Vanity,” includes graphic and shocking photographs, video and investigator notes, and we suggest ways you can get involved in efforts to end this barbaric practice. On March 16, our executive vice president, Adam M. Roberts, talked about the investigation on CNN Headline News. Watch his interview with anchorperson Jane Velez-Mitchell.

"Why Do Lions Matter?" (Blog by Will Travers, Born Free USA's chief executive officer, posted March 2, 2011, on the Huffington Post)

(video) "U.S. Seeks 'Endangered' Status for African Lions"(story and video posted March 2, 2011, on British news outlet ITN)

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A coalition of wildlife campaigners are seeking to have the African lion placed on the US endangered status list for animals. They argue that the battle to save lions from extinction in their homeland should begin in the United States.

Link: Yahoo! News

Virginia McKenna, who co-founded the Born Free Foundation in England with her husband Bill Travers and son Will Travers (Born Free USA's chief executive officer), is featured in a three-part Q&A article on the Pet News and Views website.

Link: Part 1
Link: Part 2
Link: Part 3

Inside Thirteen recently had the opportunity to speak with veteran actress, author and wildlife activist Virginia McKenna. She is best known for her role as Joy Adamson in the 1966 film, "Born Free," for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. The film (based on the book by the same title) tells the story of George and Joy Adamson, who raised an orphaned lion cub, Elsa, to adulthood, and released her into the wilds of Kenya.

Link: THIRTEEN

Podcaster Charlie Moores assembles a panel of experts to talk about National Bird Day. Joining Moores are Denise Kelly of the Avian Welfare Coalition; Marc Johnson of Rhode Island-based Foster Parrots and the conservationist behind the innovative eco-tourism initiative "Project Guyana"; David Morimoto, head of the Biology Department at Massachusetts’ Lesley University; and Michael Schindlinger, professor of biology at Lesley.

Listen to the podcast.

It's been 50 years since Joy and George Adamson adopted a lion cub in Kenya. Her name was Elsa and she became the major character in the book "Born Free" by Joy Adamson.
For those too young to remember the story, PBS is offering a documentary on "Nature" on Jan. 9.

Link: The Sacramento Bee/McClatchy Tribune