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Born Free Kenya

Wildlife Conservation Kenya 🦁🐘🦒
Protecting lions, elephants & giraffes in Meru & Amboseli
Human-wildlife coexistence 🐘
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Founded by Virginia McKenna OBE, Will Travers OBE and Bill Travers MBE in 1984, we work tirelessly to stop the exploitation and suffering of individual animals living in captivity or in the wild. From the start, we’ve campaigned for a future where animals and people can co-exist and where threatened and endangered species are protected for generations to come.

18/09/2026

Elsa's back! 🦁

A few days ago, we were over the moon to tell you that ResQ, and another lioness, had been spotted with six brand-new cubs in our charity's homeland, Meru National Park in Kenya. But this is the story that keeps giving, as we have even more remarkable news to share.

We believe the second lioness may be none other than Elsa.

Born in 2014 and named after the famous lioness from Born Free, Elsa was regularly sighted in the park. But after disappearing in May 2022, we feared the worst.

Then, last week, everything changed.

Using movement data from ResQ's GPS collar, our team was able to track down the lionesses and cubs. As they observed the pride, they noticed that the second lioness shared the same distinctive whisker spot pattern as Elsa.

The extraordinary resighting shows Elsa continues to play a vital role in her pride. She's a mother alongside her own daughter, ResQ, and now it seems is a grandmother too.

It's a powerful reminder of why our monitoring and conservation work in Meru matters.

Read the full story and see the photos in our latest news article: https://bit.ly/4hbNiuK

16/09/2026

Last month, Born Free Foundation’s Executive President, Will Travers OBE, paid a courtesy call to the KWS Amboseli National Park Assistant Director Gilbert Rop, Deputy Park Warden Nathan Gatundu and Community Warden Adan Bakata.

During the visit, they addressed human-wildlife conflict issues in the Amboseli Area, and plans for a collaborative partnership.

Born Free staff in attendance included the Kenya Country Director, Alice Kamau, Director of Programmes Helen Bushell, Head of Kenya Programmes, Dr. David Manoa, Community Engagement Technical Lead, Phoebe Odhiang' and Amboseli Landscape Manager, Michael Mugo.

13/09/2026

🦁 Meet the newest members of Elsa's Pride!

We recently received a wonderful update from the guides at Elsa's Kopje Meru, a luxury lodge in Born Free’s homeland of Meru National Park, Kenya.

The team spotted six new lion cubs with Elsa’s Pride, one of the largest and most successful lion families in the park.

But this discovery became even more special when we realised one of the mothers is none other than ResQ. Many of you will remember ResQ from 2021, when Born Free and Kenya Wildlife Service rescued her from a life-threatening snare that had become tightly wrapped around her neck.

ResQ is also one of the lionesses we recently fitted with a lightweight satellite collar, helping our team monitor the pride and better understand how lions use the landscape.

The six cubs are thought to be only a few weeks old, but both mothers appear to be coping well.

🔎 Find out more about the cubs and how our citizen science programme is encouraging local people to help us monitor Meru's lions here: https://bit.ly/4xZT7m7

10/09/2026

Every elephant calf born in the wild is a quiet victory; proof that the habitat is holding, the herd is safe, and that standing between wildlife and conflict is work that pays off in ways you can actually see.

This little one has a long road ahead. Elephants stay close to their mothers for years, learning where to find water, how to read danger, and how to protect the herd.

We'll be here for all of it. 🐘

📸 Peter Ndung'u

07/09/2026

🤝𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭: 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

We work hand-in-hand with Maasai communities through outreach like Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), one of the many ways we support livelihoods that are kinder to the land and the wildlife that share it.

💰 Why VSLAs matter:
VSLAs empower community members, especially women, to save, access credit, and grow small businesses without relying on activities that put pressure on wildlife and natural resources. A more secure household is less likely to turn to practices like bushmeat poaching or unsustainable land use just to get by.

🐘 The bigger picture:
Sustainable livelihoods and conservation go hand in hand. When communities thrive economically, they're better positioned to see wildlife not as a threat to their way of life, but as a resource worth protecting.

🗣️ Conversations like these, with community members and the local leaders who guide decision-making, are at the heart of our approach. Real conservation isn't just about protecting animals; it's about protecting the people and livelihoods that share their landscape.💚

05/09/2026

Caught relaxing on a fence post in Amboseli, meet the yellow baboon, one of the savanna's smartest and most social characters!

Yellow baboons are true opportunists; they eat grasses, fruits, seeds, roots, insects, and even small vertebrates when they get the chance. That flexible diet is a big part of why they thrive across such a wide range of habitats.

Some fun facts about them:
🐒 Baboons "gossip" through grooming. It's not just about hygiene; it strengthens social bonds and troop loyalty!
🐒 They're highly vocal, using a range of barks, grunts, and screams to communicate danger, mood, and status.
🐒 Excellent problem-solvers, baboons have been known to raid crops and even open latches; Smart, but it puts them in conflict with farmers.

03/09/2026

🐘🌿 Where does wildlife go when it leaves the park?

In our Conservation Clubs, learners are finding out! They're exploring why elephants, lions and other wildlife move between protected areas and community land, and why that movement matters.

Corridors and dispersal areas aren't empty land; they're lifelines. Protecting them means protecting the future of coexistence between people and wildlife!

📸 Peter Ndung'u

01/09/2026

Extreme weather is reshaping Kenya's landscapes and testing wildlife and communities.

In Amboseli, this year brought scorching heat in January, heavy rains from February to April, and now drying grasslands again. Livestock are pushed into protected areas in search of grazing, increasing encounters with lions.

In Meru, rivers that sustain 13 waterways and countless species are drying up faster than last year, straining the delicate balance between people and wildlife.

Born Free is working with communities through Water Resource User Associations, tree planting, and water catchment protection to build resilience for both people and wildlife. But as weather extremes become the new normal, this work matters more than ever.

Read more 👉 https://bit.ly/3S8olYN

📸 Boma in Amboseli

30/08/2026

Earlier this month, our species monitoring team in Meru National Park, Kenya received an urgent report about a young male lion from Elsa's Pride with a deadly snare caught around his neck.

The emergency sparked a multi-team effort to locate the lion and provide it with the urgent help it needed.

But finding him was far from straightforward. As the days passed and the lion continued to move through challenging terrain, the search became increasingly urgent.

🦁 Discover how this rescue unfolded in our latest news story: https://bit.ly/4wYVsfU

28/08/2026

🚨 Amboseli Elephants Update

Recent developments in the investigation into the deaths of elephants in Kenya's Amboseli ecosystem have led to four people being detained on suspicion of poisoning. While initial reports indicated that 15 elephants had died, authorities have since confirmed that the death toll has risen to 18.

Preliminary laboratory tests conducted in July identified traces of cyanide in samples taken from the elephants. Investigators are exploring whether the animals ingested tomato crops treated with illegal pesticides. The affected elephants, many of them adult females and calves, showed signs consistent with poisoning.

A search connected to the investigation resulted in the recovery of a number of substances and chemicals. These potentially toxic substances have been sent for further scientific analysis, and investigations remain ongoing.

Born Free works across the Amboseli ecosystem to protect and monitor wildlife, while supporting communities to reduce human-wildlife conflict and promote coexistence.

We welcome efforts to establish the facts surrounding these tragic deaths and to help prevent similar incidents in the future. 🐘💚

📸 Born Free

Address

Nairobi
00502

Website

https://www.bornfree.org.uk/where-we-work/kenya/

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