The Born Free Foundation is a wildlife charity founded in 1945 by Bill Travers MBE and Virginia McKenna OBE both of which starred in the film ‘Born Free’. They take action world-wide to stop suffering and keep animals in the wild.

I was lucky enough to visit the Born Free Foundation at Shamwari, in South Africa, and see for myself the remarkable work they do. At first we were given the history of this amazing charity and then a tour of the sanctuary, our guide talked to us about each lion and leopard in their care. He told us of the horrendous life they had before being rescued. It was a female lion that upset me the most; she had been kept in a cage in a European city and fed fast-food burgers for years, leaving her physically and psychologically damaged. She now enjoys her life in a huge enclosure, she walks on African grass, is fed and watered regularly and has a constant check by the vet, although I’m sure she doesn’t know how lucky she is. I left in tears, wondering how humans can be so cruel.