After a short break in blogging during which I finished my year’s study abroad with a final travelling session (down central Australia via Alice Springs, Uluru, Adelaide, on to Fiji, NZ and then Dubai), I bring you my first blog from the shores of Britain. Home sweet home.
Of course the most exciting goings-on since my return to England are those surrounding the London 2012 Olympic games. Amongst all the athletes, medals and patriotic pride I was excited to see that a Born Free lion, ‘Freddie’ (one of the lions lined up for the Pride of Cape Town event), made it to the Olympics too.
Freddie was decorated in tribute to the late Queen front man Freddie Mercury and has just toured London before reaching the Savoy Hotel, where it will be auctioned on 3rd September, to raise funds for the Born Free Foundation and the Mercury Phoenix Trust.
Interestingly, during my first week back in England I visited Norwich where I’d seen the 2008 citywide exhibit of Born Free elephants (as blogged about here http://kateonconservation.com/2012/04/06/pride-of-cape-town/) and found two of the few sculptures that still remain in the city, at the Theatre Royal and The Forum Library.
Another exciting event that has occurred since my last blog was the new set-up of the Voice of Conservation competition. This year one lucky school group gets to visit Shamwari Game Reserve and blog about the issues and projects occurring at the reserve. The V.o.C blog can be followed here http://www.worldwideexperience.com/news-blog/voice-of-conservation/
I have chosen this week to re-launch my regular blog posts as this last Monday marked the anniversary of the death of George Adamson, whose adventure with then wife Joy was depicted in the film Born Free. I’d like to take a moment here to remember George and Elsa the lioness, whom without them, and of course Joy Adamson, the wonderful Born Free Foundation would not exist. It was Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna’s experience of depicting their story that led them to becoming founders of the charity. I have read the biography of George Adamson and love revisiting his and Joy’s tales, but that may be a blog for another day.
