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A naturalist and a rebel of sorts. These are some of the words that can be used to describe George Adamson. An adventurer and an author were some of the qualities that George Adamson possessed. Born in India in 1906, he was fondly called “Baba ya Simba” which is swahili for Father of lions. The Adamsons, as they are remembered, were great lovers of nature who devoted their lives to conservation efforts.

In the course of his job, George who was a game warden in northern Kenya accidentally shot and killed a lioness which survived by three cubs that the couple adopted and raised. The cubs named Big One, Lustica and Elsa  soon become a  handful and the former two were sent to a zoo in Rotterdam while Elsa remained with the couple and  went on to become famous.
An unwavering dedication to conservation efforts dominated the couple’s life who resided at the Elsamere Ranch which is a conservation centre located on Lake Naivasha.
Joy and George separated after the death of Elsa but remained in good terms. In January 1980, Joy’s body was discovered by her assistant in the Shaba game reserve and was initially thought to have been killed by lions. However, further investigations revealed that it was Paul Enkai her former labourer who had committed the murder. Nine years later, George Adamson followed the same fate as he was murdered whilst rushing to assist a tourist being attacked by poachers. Together the Adamsons revolutionalized people’s attitudes to wild animals and warned the world that unless it protects their habitats, many of the most magnificent species would be extinct within a few decades. The award winning movie, Born Free, is based on the life of George and his lions.

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