- Adamson, Joy
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born Jan. 20, 1910, Troppau, Silesia, Austria-Hungarydied Jan. 3, 1980, Shaba National Reserve, KenyaCzech-born British naturalist.Educated in Vienna, she moved to Kenya in 1939. She became known worldwide for books describing how she and her husband, George, raised a lion cub, Elsa, and returned it to its natural habitat: Born Free (1960), Living Free (1961), and Forever Free (1962). The books were adapted into two films. She later repeated her rehabilitation success with cheetah and leopard cubs. In addition to writing other books, she founded the Elsa Wild Animal Appeal (1961), an international conservation fund. She was killed by a disgruntled employee.
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née Joy-Friederike Victoria Gessnerborn Jan. 20, 1910, Troppau, Silesia, Austria-Hungary [now Opava, Czech Republic]died Jan. 3, 1980, Shaba National Reserve, KenyaFollowing an education in Vienna, she relocated to Kenya (1939), where she married George Adamson (1944), a British game warden who had worked in Kenya as a gold prospector, goat trader, and safari hunter from 1924. She won international renown with her African wildlife books, especially the trilogy describing how the couple raised a lion cub, Elsa, and returned it to its natural habitat: Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds (1960), Living Free: The Story of Elsa and Her Cubs (1961), and Forever Free: Elsa's Pride (1962). All three were best sellers that were later developed into films and condensed into one volume as The Story of Elsa (1966). Her other books included The Peoples of Kenya (1967), The Searching Spirit: An Autobiography (1978), and Queen of Shaba: The Story of an African Leopard (1980).In 1961 Adamson founded the Elsa Wild Animal Appeal (later renamed the Elsa Conservation Trust), an international group that financed conservation and education projects. At age 69 she was murdered by a disgruntled employee. George Adamson was killed by animal poachers in 1989.* * *
Universalium. 2010.