Born Free is the 1960 bestselling story of Joy Adamson's love for an orphaned lion cub named Elsa – and how that love is returned unexpectedly. Joy and husband George, a Kenyan game warden, adopt three orphaned lion kittens, bottle-feed them and raise them to young lionhood. All the time, they know that it is temporary – since grown lions are too dangerous to be household pets. The two largest are sent off to Rotterdam Zoo in Holland. However, little Elsa, the runt of the litter, is allowed to remain with Joy and a deep bond is formed. However, when the enthusiastic prankster Elsa is blamed for stampeding a herd of elephants through a village, George's boss gives Joy three months to either rehabilitate Elsa to the wild, or send her to a zoo. The book describes in loving detail how Joy spends those months, teaching Elsa to hunt by dragging carcasses behind a Land Rover, then introducing her to a pride of lions in a distant game reserve. At last, Joy succeeds, and with mixed feelings and a breaking heart, she returns Elsa to the wild. A year later, the Adamsons return for a visit, hoping to find Elsa – and are stunned by their reception. An inspiring story of tough love and undying friendship.  

~ Rob Kerby

Purchase "Born Free" here.