Kenya the home Of Elsa the Lioness

Kenya the home Of Elsa the Lioness :  Have you had the chance to see or hear about the popular film Born Free starring Holly Wood? If you have already seen or seen this film, it is only fitting that you take a Kenya safari at Elsemere Conservation Centre to enjoy a true Kenyan wildlife safari at the location of the film’s creation.  The Elsamere Conservation Centre is located on the Moi S Lake route, south of Lake Naivasha.

Visitors on a Kenya tour to Elsamere Conservation Centre can explore the museum, which houses artefacts from the Adamson family’s life, and view many of Joy’s paintings in the house. Delightful teas and lunches are offered here as well. Along with safari activities like boating and trips to nearby destinations, there is guest accommodation on the grounds with a lake view.

Tracing the history of Joy and George.

George, who was born on February 6, 1906, in Etawa, India, immigrated to Kenya in 1924 and held a number of vocations, including professional hunter, goat merchant, and gold inspector. 1936 saw him enlist in the Kenya Wildlife Services, where he worked in the northern frontier district until 1940, when he married Friederike Victoria Gessner, thereafter known as Joy. Joy’s painter ex-husband gave her this name, and it was he who convinced Joy to work on the several paintings you see when visiting her former Elsamere home during a brief game safari in Kenya.

Kenya the home Of Elsa the Lioness
Kenya the home Of Elsa the Lioness

You will have the opportunity to hear the fascinating tale of Elsa the lioness during your Kenya wildlife safari at Elsamere Conservation Centre. The story starts when George brought home three lion cubs in 1956. Sadly, a lioness charged him out of the deep bush while he was on a mission into the wilderness; in self-defense, he shot and killed her, only to discover that she was guarding her young. It was a challenging undertaking to raise three cubs, and after six months, two of them were moved to a zoo in Europe. Elsa, the tiniest cub, stayed with Joy and George. It was decided at this moment to train Elsa before releasing her back into the wild.

The Adamson family’s lives would be forever altered by this historic choice, which would also establish a standard for African wildlife protection. Elsa had months of training to learn how to survive alone in the bush before being safely released back into the wild. The first Lioness to accomplish this and maintain communication upon her liberation was Elsa. Joy wrote a book on Elsa by combining her notes and knowledge with George’s journals. The book, Born Free, was released in 1960 and went on to become a best-seller, inspiring an academy award-winning film adaptation. Joy went on to write two further novels that supported wildlife charities and conservation by telling the story of Elsa as a mother and her pups. Joy and George parted ways in 1970, citing the emergence of their own personal passions; nonetheless, they stayed close friends and continued to celebrate Christmas together ever since.

A gruesome end of the road for the two conservation icons.

Unfortunately, cold-blooded murder claimed the lives of these two iconic figures in conservation. Joy’s 1980 murder occurred in Shaba National Reserve, where her former local employee killed her.

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