News & Updates

Born Free warns heinous trade threatens beleaguered wild lions. Born Free Foundation has warned that South Africa’s intention to grant an annual commercial export quota of 800 skeletons sourced from captive-bred lions raised in canned hunting facilities could threaten wild populations and perpetuate suffering.

Many agree that the most immediate critical threat to African elephants, rhinos, apes and other endangered wildlife is large-scale poaching and the organized criminal networks which traffic in these animals. Although national laws and international treaties protect these species throughout their range, generally there is weak application of relevant laws to arrest wildlife criminals and criminal courts to hand down sentences which not only take significant wildlife traffickers out of action but which also act as a deterrent. Widespread corruption feeds this process.

A Sumatran orangutan is reported to have escaped its enclosure at Chester Zoo on Sunday afternoon.The full details of the incident are not yet known, but it is believed a young Sumatran orangutan, Indah, managed to escape into the keeper area near her enclosure. Staff closed the area off from visitors, and Indah was later recaptured.

News has emerged that the long-running, US-based Ringling Bros And Barnum & Bailey Circus has reportedly made the decision to cease operating. The company made the announcement on 14 January 2017 that it will be holding its final performance on the 21 May, due to declining sales.

Virginia McKenna, OBE and founder of the Born Free Foundation, explains why nurturing the next generation is so important:

Tilikum, the largest orca in captivity and whose life was featured in the blockbuster film, Blackfish, has died. Reports emerged last year of Tilikum’s deteriorating health due to a drug-resistant bacterial lung infection, but today SeaWorld has confirmed that he has tragically passed away.

Charity calls on EU and UK authorities to step up. On 30th December 2016 Chinese State Media revealed the State Council’s plans to stop all commercial processing and sale of ivory by 31 March 2017, and completely shut down its domestic ivory market by the end of 2017.

The Centre for Whale Research has announced that the 105 year old orca, known as Granny (orca J2), is presumed dead. “Granny’’, the oldest known orca (or killer whale), was last seen in October 2016 and was the leader (or matriarch) of J pod. Her presumed death marks the 7th death of a Southern Resident Killer Whale in 2016, bringing the wild population to only 78 individuals across all three family groups (J, K, and L).

Partners since 2007, Born Free is proud to be able to facilitate continued support for the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust (LWT) in Malawi thanks to Margot Raggett and Remembering Elephants. In 2014 the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, run by LWT, had rescued a total 83 wild animals, released 58 of them and had 254 under their long-term care. Some were victims of human-wildlife conflict and many were rescued from the illegal bushmeat or pet trades. Despite taking in every animal they could, the team were also getting an increasing number of calls about helping wild animals in distress, especially rhinos or elephants in National Parks across the country that were injured by snares set by poachers.

It has been reported that seven Humboldt penguins were found dead at a zoo in Canada over the weekend. The penguins were due to perform in one of Calgary Zoo’s shows, when it was discovered that all seven had died in a holding area.