Born Free: Elsa the Lioness

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This is the most famous lion to ever walk on this planet. Her life was very short but she left a mark that will be there for many centuries to come. Elsa came in to the life of George and Joy Adamson in 1956 with her two sisters 'Big One' and Lustica when George was forced to kill their mother during one of his game drives. Later on, 'Big One' and Lustica were taken to the Rotterdam Zoo in Netherlands.

Elsa remained in the care of the Adamsons. A relationship soon developed and she was more of a domesticated pet than a wild lioness. Joy Adamson was closer to Elsa than anyone else and their relationship was that of equals. Joy Adamson was determined to teach Elsa how to survive in the wild and she gave it her all. With a lot of setbacks, she managed to teach her how to survive in the wild. Elsa's life was documented in many books and films earning her world recognition and fame. When she was three years old, she brought three cubs of her own to show the Adamsons. This was an emotionally charged moment as the Adamsons hugged and embraced Elsa and her litter. They named the cubs little Elsa, Gopa and Jespah. The four later returned to the wild but they kept in touch with the Adamsons.

Elsa's life was suddenly cut short when she was only five years old when she succumbed to an attack of babesiosis, a blood disease that mostly affects the cats' family. Her remains were buried in the Meru National Park. Elsa's story shows us that there is more to the wild animals than we care to know. They too have a compassionate and softer side that we can relate to if only we take time to understand them; those animals too need love, care and affection, that we humans can coexist with them and still respect each other. Let us all do all we can to make this a better planet for all animals.

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Let us all respect animals' rights to be free in their natural habitat. To me, hunters are criminals and there should be a law banning all animal hunting. Environmentalists and conservationists don't seem to be working hard on this as most countries make big money out of hunting licences. It is also cruel to train animals to perform tricks for our entertainment! Experimenting on animals is just as cruel not to mention that animal experimentation can raise ethical questions such as :

• Is it acceptable to give a laboratory animal a human ear or heart?
• Is it ethical to experiment on animals without painkillers or anaesthetics?
• Genetics engineering can mean that laboratory animals are given genes which can cause  birth defects. When they reproduce, their youngs will be born with genetic problems. How justifiable is this?

 

Comments

[Phivos Nicolaides]

"Elsa's story shows us that there is more to the wild animals than we care to know". Absolutely true!

[Christina]

I think the most touching moment for the Adamsons, especially for Joy, was when Elsa brought them her cubs. What a wonderful moment this must have been for them! I also think that animals have rights that we, humans , should respect. I am against hunting and training animals for our entertainment, but not against animal experimentation in medical research provided that the animals are spared pain and suffering. And let me tell you, Anastasia, that this is yet another great post of yours that I greaqtly enjoyed reading.

[Alexia M]

I feel very proud of my country and my homeland in particular that hosted, protected and cared for Elsa's sisters in the zoo of Rotterdam. Many people think zoos are like a prison for animals but in most cases they are a place where animals can receive love, food and protection. Elsa's story is also a great lesson for us humans: animals will say "thank you" in their own unique way, while many human beings feel ungrateful for what God has given them.

[Constantinos]

I have two dogs - 10-year-old Nefeli, a labrador retriever and 4-year-old Melina, a beagle. They're loving, faithful and affectionate. And they are treated with just as much love and respect because they are part of my family. Elsa has proved the world that animals have feelings,too,and they never forget the people who love them.

[Jean-Paul Bouvier]

Les animaux sont des êtres sensibles, intelligents et conscients, même si cela n'a été reconnu que très récemment. Pour autant, cette reconnaissance n'a pas fait évoluer leur statut : ils continuent d'être traités comme des objets, de la marchandise, de la nourriture. Leur point de vue est totalement ignoré et leur intérêt occulté.

[Jim]

A close friend of George Adamson said this: "Most of us look at an animal, prejudiced by our ignorance of it and convinced that because it lacks a language like ours, and therefore a culture, it is our inferior. Most of us are only concerned for its survival if its whole species is endangered. George on the other hand, with the clearer eyes of experience recognized an animal's capacities for that which they actually were, and regarded it as an equal. He wanted to save each one, as an individual, from unnecessary captivity, suffering or death. This was the foundation of his moral concern for the animals. He knew that they constituted no threat to the human race."

[Stefania]

I loved the movie so much!! Elsa was almost ... human. So loving, so tender, so affectionate. Thanks for sharing this touching story, Anastasia.

[Lakis Ioannou]

I enjoy hunting as a recreational activity and I believe that hunters are great environmentalists who contribute a lot to preserving the balance of our ecosystem. Regarding ethics, killing a wild animal for food cannot be worse than killing a cow or a chicken. Unlike the cow or the chicken, the wild animal lived a free and wild life before being killed and had a chance to escape. Besides, killing a number of birds or animals benefits the ecosystem as a whole. As a hunter, I'm against certain practices which I consider unethical, such as baiting, canned hunting, trophy hunting, and hunting of stocked animals. I'm also opposed to the way the Adamsons treated Elsa. Joy was a selfish woman who deprived Elsa the right to live a wild life together with other lions.