Today marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. premiere of the iconic Born Free film! On June 22, 1966, audiences watched actors Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers tell the story of an orphaned lion cub named Elsa—and her return to the wild. After making the film, McKenna and Travers founded Born Free Foundation in 1984 and Born Free USA in 2002. Born Free is considered to be the first mainstream Hollywood film to spotlight a conservation issue and is regarded by many as the beginning of the animal welfare and wildlife conservation movement: an approach to wild animals that recognizes each one as an individual in need of protection.