Born Free received largely favorable reviews from critics. Subsequent books were also heavily illustrated. Readers had pictures of many of the events of Elsa's life leading up to her release. The success of the book was due to both the story of Elsa and the dozens of photographs of her. Published in 1960, it became a bestseller, spending 13 weeks at the top of The New York Times Best Seller list and nearly a year on the chart overall. She submitted it to a number of publishers before it was bought by Harvill Press, part of HarperCollins. Using her own notes and George's journals, Joy wrote Born Free to tell the lion's tale. Indeed, in every lion I saw during our searches I recognized the intrinsic nature of Elsa, Jespah, Gopa and Little Elsa, the spirit of all the magnificent lions in Africa". But it was also with these two lions here in front of us and as I watched this beautiful pair, I realized how all the characteristics of our cubs were inherent in them. In The Story of Elsa, a compilation of the books about Elsa, Joy Adamson wrote: "My heart was with them wherever they were. The Adamsons, who feared the farmers might kill the cubs, were able to eventually capture them and transport them to neighboring Tanganyika Territory, where they were promised a home at Serengeti National Park. Her three young cubs became a nuisance, killing the livestock of local farmers. In January 1961, Elsa died from disease resulting from a tick bite.
The Adamsons kept their distance from the cubs, getting close enough only to photograph them. They were in the end successful, and Elsa became the first lioness successfully released back into the wild, the first to have contact after release, and the first known released lion to have a litter of cubs. The two largest cubs, named "Big One" and "Lustica", were passed on to be cared for by a zoo in Rotterdam, and the smallest, "Elsa", was raised by the couple.Īfter some time living together, the Adamsons decided to set Elsa free rather than send her to a zoo, and spent many months training her to hunt and survive on her own. Taking them home, Joy and George found it difficult to care for the all the cubs' needs. George later realized the lioness was just protecting her cubs, which were found nearby in a rocky crevice.
In 1956, Joy's third husband, George Adamson, in the course of his job as game warden of the Northern Frontier District in Kenya, shot and killed a lioness as she charged him and another warden. Joy Adamson is best known for her conservation efforts associated with Elsa the Lioness.
0 kommentar(er)
