Born Free Foundation
Through a variety of fundraising events and support from both clients and staff, Kuoni is supporting Born Free projects that 'combine our interest in education, children and wildlife', including Achee and 'Ma Juah Rescue, Ngonzini School and Youth for Conservation in Kenya, and Born Free's Big Cat Rescue Centre in South Africa.
The Born Free Foundation is a dynamic and high-profile international wildlife charity, founded by actors Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers following their starring roles in the classic film 'Born Free'. Born Free works to alleviate suffering, investigate cruelty and encourage everyone to treat wildlife with respect. Born Free believes wildlife belongs in the wild and that the confinement of wild animals for human entertainment should be a thing of the past.
Born Free is dedicated to the protection of threatened species in their natural habitat and works with local communities around the world to help people and wildlife live together without conflict. Born Free has eight major international campaigns devoted to animal welfare and conservation: Zoo Check, Elefriends, Big Cats, Marine, Bears, Primates, Wolves and Education.
Lion Rescue Achee and ‘Ma Juah
Achee was a lioness rescued by the Born Free Foundation from the Greek Consulate in Romania . The Consul had bought her from a photographer who was using Achee to attract tourists, and special enclosures were created for her in the consulate car park and underground gymnasium! Achee was much loved, and unfortunately her picky eating habits were indulged. It wasn't realised that her diet of choice cuts of boneless meat was severely lacking in the necessary vitamins and minerals. The "nutritional osteoydsytrophy" that developed put pressure on the nerves to her brain, and prevented the joints in her legs developing properly. When Born Free representatives met her for the first time they saw a lioness whose head twitched when she got nervous or excited, and whose rolling gait looked very strange. The long cold winters in Romania would become very uncomfortable for Achee in the future.
A home was offered for her at Born Free's sanctuary within Shamwari Game Reserve and she arrived there in September 2004. Achee has thrived in this more natural environment. She has developed powerful muscles and is no longer hand-fed tiny morsels of meat but tackles huge carcasses which she devours with pleasure.Her bizarre body language would mean she could never be introduced to a "normal" lion; they would sense something was wrong and attack her.
Living alone is hard for lions as they are the most sociable of the big cats. However, co-incidentally, Born Free had rescued another lion with the same nutritional problems just weeks before Achee arrived. Ma Juah was a lioness living alone in a zoo in Liberia belonging to the ex-president. During the country's civil war she went without food for a period of 23 days and almost starved to death. She had however never been fed properly since a cub and had developed similar skeletal problems to Achee. Ma Juah arrived at Shamwari in July 2004 and these two lionesses were kept in adjoining enclosures. They had never seen another lion since they were cubs but they very soon seemed to get pleasure in each other's company. They were introduced to each other on 15th February 2005 and after a brief spat have settled down happily together and are now firm friends.
Ngonzini School, Kenya
In November 2003 the project, in which 7 classrooms, a toilet block, staff room, an office each for the headmaster and deputy head were built at Ng’onzini School, was completed. This has since led the way for the consolidation of the school in the form of old classroom refurbishment as well as the provision of basic needs - two water tanks and two toilet blocks were recently constructed.
Through combining the Global Friends grant and the funds provided by Kuoni, one major further development of the school is currently being undertaken. A solar panel and lights are in the process of being provided and installed at the school. The panel has been bought but needs to be installed. As you may understand, battery issues and matters of security must be carefully looked into to ensure that the solar panel is not stolen or damaged by elephants.
In fact, the elephants that wander around the school at night act somewhat as a deterrent to any would-be robbers! We have been assured that the panel will be installed and operational by August.The solar panel will have a very real impact on the school and will mean that at least one classroom can be used in the evenings.
This classroom will therefore have a critical impact upon the local community in that they will be able to have community meetings in the evening, extra tuition for the children coming up for exams and will be more able to undertake any matters during the hours of darkness. This is an important breakthrough for Ng’onzini School and will hopefully lead the way for further development of light and electricity provision.
Youth for Conservation, Kenya
Over the last year Born Free Foundation, with the support of Kuoni, has sponsored the work of Youth for Conservation in Kenya which has included bushmeat investigations, public awareness activities and a number of snare removal operations in various parts of Kenya including Ruma National Park .
In Ruma, a total of 116 snares were removed and destroyed, bird traps were found in one of the local villages and removed, and fresh remains of several animals were discovered. The Ruma operation also included a community environmental education session to try and motivate local people to support wildlife protection and to refrain from illegal activities including poaching. A series of recommendations were made to improve wildlife conservation in the area including; the training of community game scouts; an increase in Rangers; the systematic cutting of fire breaks; an increase in desnaring operations and the removal of unused telephone lines around the Park which currently act as a source of wire for making snares.
YfC were also assisted by Born Free in highlighting the extent and impact of the illegal commercial bushmeat trade by conducting a survey of over 200 butcher shops in Nairobi . The results showed that all of the samples analysed 40% were exclusively or contained bushmeat. This initial investigation now needs further follow-up to encourage Government action to tackle the bushmeat issue.
Born Free's Big Cat Rescue Centre, South Africa
Shamwari Wildlife Reserve was created from 49,000 acres of arid farmland on South Africa's famous Garden Route, close to Port Elizabeth. Today the award-winning Reserve's lush habitat supports a vast array of wild animals and plants and has provided a retirement home for nine rescued Born Free big cats.
Born Free's Big Cat Rescue and Education Centre was built at Shamwari, in memory of Julie Ward, in 1999. The Centre is home to nine big cats rescued by Born Free, while the education facilities benefit both local people - including hundreds of school children, and holiday-makers. Born Free's five lions and four leopards live in large natural habitat enclosures several acres in size, surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of wild Africa. Not quite 'the wild', but the nearest possible alternative.
The big cats were all rescued from lives of misery. Anthea and Raffi were incarcerated in a tiny cage on the sun-baked roof of a Tenerife restaurant, and were malnourished and frustrated. Born Free rescued the lions in 1995 and for two years they were cared for at a sanctuary in Kent. Then in 1997 the pair went 'back to the bush', home to their ancestral land. Today they revel in the freedom of their new lives and Raffi's deep, heart-stopping roar echoes along the ancient African valley. Anthea and Raffi are available for adoption from Born Free.
To find out more please contact:
Born Free Foundation
3 Grove House
Foundry Lane
Horsham
RH13 5PL
UK
tel: 01403 240170
fax: 01403 327838
e-mail: wildlife@bornfree.org.uk
web: http://www.bornfree.org.uk
