News & Updates

Born Free is pleased to report that the Scottish Parliament has passed a Bill to ban wild animals from travelling circus in Scotland, becoming the first nation in the UK to take such a step.

There is a perception by the Kenyan public that Born Free Foundation can solve all problems. It may be a good thing as it could be an indicator of their confidence in us.

Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, has declared that public event permits to circuses that use wild animals will no longer be issued. This follows similar decisions in recent months by the Estonian cities of Tartu and Pärnu. The Estonian Ministry of Rural Affairs is currently working on a draft bill to end the use of all wild animals in circuses throughout Estonia. Provided the bill is approved by the Estonian Parliament, it is likely to come into force by 1st June 2018.

Born Free is perhaps best-known for its work with big cats, but this week came to the aid of a frightened kingfisher, after it was found injured in a Horsham back garden on Friday 15th December.

Wildlife conservation in Kenya, as is likely the case in many other countries, is a political kiln and minefield. The sector is rich in resources – both land and biodiversity – and given that they are not isolated from people, the sector is quite emotive and can be explosive.

For the first two weeks of this month, it has been a hive of activities in Amboseli. Despite the much-awaited rainfall we received last month that affected our work at some points and inaccessibility in some areas due to bad weather, we pushed through to accomplish our mission before the year end.

On 16th December 2016 the government revealed that during Autumn, 10,886 badgers were killed across 10 licensed cull zones in 6 counties in the West and South West of England, bringing the total numbers of badgers killed under license in England to almost 15,000 since culling began in 2013.

Intensive monitoring of Ethiopian wolves by the EWCP (Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme) in core areas of the Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) permitted early detection of a rabies outbreak in the Web Valley, prompting an emergency intervention to curtail the spread of the disease.

The latest Big Cat updates from Shamwari

Attenborough and The Giant Elephant (BBC1 9pm Sunday 10th December) recalls the tortured existence of an animal who was incarcerated in zoos and travelling circuses, and whose miserable life ended following a collision with a train.