News & Updates

The Born Free Foundation has joined with our friends at the Humane Society International, Animals Asia Foundation and partners in China to promote a petition in support of closing the zoo in Grandview Shopping Mall, Guangzhou, China.

The Born Free Foundation is shocked by the news from Cincinnati Zoo, which indicates that a child climbed or fell into the gorilla enclosure, and zoo authorities subsequently shot dead a male gorilla named Harambe.

Most people know about the terrible declines in many of Africa's animals, particularly elephants. What many people don't realise is that Lions, arguably the most iconic of Africa's predators, are also in real trouble.

The Born Free Foundation has been welcomed as a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) - the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation. The IUCN includes 1,351 government and NGO members, and more than 15,000 volunteer experts working in 185 countries.

Representatives from 16 leading European animal protection groups, including the Born Free Foundation, Eurogroup for Animals and Animal Advocacy and Protection (AAP), recently concluded meetings in Brussels, Belgium to launch a Europe-wide collaboration to end to the use of wild animals in performance. The coalition is advocating an end to the use of animals such as elephants, big cats and primates in entertainment including circuses and other live performances, television and film.

Delegates are attending the 3rd Asia ministerial conference on tiger conservation in Delhi, with over 23 NGOs and bodies wanting a commitment for zero demand for tiger parts in order to achieve zero poaching. The Asia ministerial conference, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took place on Tuesday. More than 700 tiger experts, scientists, managers, donors and other stakeholders gathered to discuss issues related to tiger conservation. Ministers and government officials from all tiger range countries — Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, India, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russian Federation, Thailand, Vietnam, besides Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan also participated in the meeting.

A report by Liz Greengrass - Programmes Manager (Conservation). Almost a decade ago I first surveyed Banyang-Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary in Cameroon in order to estimate the number of elephant and chimpanzee. The expedition was memorable for a number of reasons. For one, almost everyone I spoke to assumed that we’d find little evidence of chimpanzees. Primates were scarce they said and commercial hunting rampant, it was doubtful that a large population remained, but despite the bad prognosis, we did confirm the presence of a large population. Other primates were indeed scarce, but for the most part hunters were adhering to traditional taboos that prohibited the killing of chimpanzees.

Today we honour Nilesh Gawande, an individual who has worked tirelessly and unrelentingly for a future with tigers in central India. Composed of 25,000km² of protected areas and surrounding corridors of forest, the Satpuda highlands represent the largest block of tiger habitat in India, and are now home to approximately 300 Bengal tigers. In 2005 the Born Free Foundation, in conjunction with the University of Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, established a network of organisations and individuals working for tiger conservation in the area under the umbrella of the Satpuda Landscape Tiger Programme (SLTP).

In a surprise move, SeaWorld today announced their decision to end the breeding of orca (also known as killer whales) at all their marine park facilities. The decision was reportedly made through discussions with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which has partnered with SeaWorld to influence and guide a change in the company's priorities.

Pangolins, the World’s Most Trafficked Mammals, Move Closer to U.S. Endangered Species Act Protection. “Listing all pangolin species under the ESA will be a dramatic and positive step in saving the species from extinction.” Born Free USA CEO Adam M. Roberts