Born Free Foundation - Keep Wildlife in the Wild

Like all big cats, leopards can suffer terribly in captivity.  Used to the freedom of vast wild territories, leopards in zoos can repeatedly pace back and forth, frustrated by the confines of their cages.  Born Free's Big Cat project first began in 1995 when we rescued Rikki the leopard from a life of misery in a tiny cage on the roof of a Tenerife restaurant, together with two lions.  Rikki was given a new life in a two-acre enclosure at our sanctuary in South Africa, surrounded by the sights and sounds of wild Africa.  Rikki died in 2001, but his legacy lives on through our continued high-profile big cat rescue work.  Four other rescued leopards now live at our sanctuary and Born Free continues to campaign to end captive exploitation of leopards and all wild animals.

Find out more in the zoocheck pages