People all over the world are still deeply moved by the story of Elsa the Lioness and the book Born Free. Joy and George Adamson were the first people to take this amazing trip, and their work to protect the environment lives on today.
Living in the middle of nowhere in Africa and putting a young lioness back into the wild must have been a labor of love. Many people thought the Adamsons were crazy for doing this important work on conservation, but they kept at it and set the stage for future generations.

A Quick History

Joy Adamson, whose real name was Friederike Victoria Gessner, and George Adamson got married in 1944 after meeting on tour in Kenya. Joy, whose name she got from her second husband, a scientist, was very interested in nature and had used her art skills to draw East African plants. George, on the other hand, was a game warden for the Northern District of Kenya.

In 1956, George brought home three lion cubs. Unfortunately, while he was out in the wilderness on a mission, a lioness charged him out of the thickets. He shot and killed her in self-defense, but later learned that she was protecting her children. It was hard to take care of three cubs, and after six months, two of them were sent to a zoo in Europe. Elsa, the tiniest cub, stayed with Joy and George. The choice was made to train Elsa and then let her go back into the wild.

Their lives would be changed forever by this important choice, and it would also set a standard for protecting wildlife in Africa. Finally, Elsa was let out into the wild after months of training where she learned how to stay alive on her own in the bush. Elsa was the first Lioness to do this and keep in touch after she was freed. She then had cubs, which was another amazing event that the Adamsons closely watched and wrote down.

In Later Years

Joy used what she knew, her notes, and George’s writings to write a book about Elsa. The book, Born Free, came out in 1960 and was an instant hit, inspiring an Oscar-winning movie. Joy wrote two more books about Elsa as a mother and her cubs. These books raised awareness about wildlife protection and money for wildlife projects.

Joy and George began to have different interests at this point and grew apart, but they decided to get together every Christmas. George wanted to keep working for Lions even though he was no longer a senior game warden. Joy moved to a new area to help a Cheetah cub and a Leopard cub get better. Her experiences inspired her to write three more books. Joy and George were both in a number of movies and specials.

In the last few years of her life, Joy taught all over the world, traveled a lot, and put out more books and artwork. As part of his work, George also helped bring lions back to Kora National Park in northern Kenya. He wrote a book and helped many lions, including Christian the Lion, who were on the streets or in captivity. Joy was found dead near her camp in Shaba National Reserve in 1980. In 1989, George was killed by Somali robbers in Kora while trying to help a tourist.

The Adamson Family Tree

A lot of trusts and foundations were started by Joy and George, or they were the motivation for them. The Elsa Wild Animal Appeal was an organization that Joy set up with the money she made from book and movie royalties. This charity changed its name to the Elsa Conservation Trust over time. When Joy and George died, they both left their estates to this trust. Elsamere, a beautiful home in Naivasha, Kenya, was one of the places they shared during their marriage.

Conservation Area Elsamere

It is in the Great Rift Valley, on the southern shore of the beautiful Lake Naivasha. People can look at many of Joy’s paintings in the house and explore the museum, which has items from the Adamsons’ lives. Teas and lunches are given here. There are guest rooms on the grounds that look out over the lake, and you can do things like go boating and take tours to see nearby sites. The house is in an area with lots of wildlife that is also great for bird watching.

Trust for Elsamere Conservation

Many projects to protect wildlife and teach people have relied on this trust. It paid for the creation of the Elsamere Center for Education in Sustainability, which opened in 1989 and keeps the Adamson dream living by teaching about conservation.