This gorgeous male lion and lioness were lounging by the water early Friday morning. He tried unsuccessfully to mate with the lioness but she apparently wasn't in the mood.
Showing posts with label lion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lion. Show all posts
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Dolo's Eyes
There's a very profound and literal saying that has always resonated with me. It applies to all sentient beings. It is:
George's documentation of Dolo's momentous translocation has now been developed into this short video, kindly produced by Duncan Smith.
Many of Born Free Foundation's projects and campaigns require us to be persistent, patient and prepared to commit for the long haul. Our plans initiated in 2006 to develop Ethiopia's first Wildlife Rescue, Conservation and Education Centre have required these very qualities. However, with support from the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority and His Excellency President Wolde-Giorgis, we are now starting to bring benefit to many rescued wild animals who need our care.
Finalising the land agreement and sourcing building materials took their time, but finally, on March 22nd 2011, Dolo was moved to his new lifetime care facility at our Centre which will offer him space, shade and peace. A large team including BF Ethiopia Project Director Stephen Brend and Vet Consultant Rea Tschopp, Born Free Foundation Founder Virginia McKenna, Programmes Director Alison Hood, Senior Vet Consultant John Knight and many more accompanied Dolo on his relocation.
A beautiful Ethiopian sunrise welcomed this momentous day for Dolo and after being tranquilised and given a health check by Rea Tschopp, he was placed in a specially made travel crate for the 250km journey to Ensessakotteh. An excited convoy followed Dolo back to Holeta and watched as he took his first tentative steps into his new indoor shelter and bushy sub-range.
Saving the life of one animal may not change the world,
but for that one animal, the world is changed forever.
This is the story of how many people worked together to save the life of one lion named Dolo. Dolo's world will now be forever changed.
Dolo
His eyes tell his story
His eyes tell his story
While it's true that not every animal can be saved, the idea of giving up or turning one's back on an animal in need or distress is unconscionable. Today I'd like to share the story of Dolo the lion with you. Dolo is a lion who's endured a life of misery. He was tied by a 1m chain (a little over a yard long), in a small cage. Dolo's name comes from the small town of Dolo in Ethiopia where he was kept for the first four years of his life, confined inside a cage as a tourist attraction. Dolo is a small town near the Ethiopia/Somalia border. The chain was far too tight around his neck and he couldn't move around freely due to the length of the chain. This was life as he knew it. No freedom of movement, never able to run, play, or do any of the things all lions should experience. He was serving solely as a tourist attraction to be gawked at, yelled at, teased and humiliated.
The Wildlife Department of Ethiopia became aware of Dolo and the conditions in which he was being kept, and decided to intervene on his behalf. They reached out to Born Free for assistance. Born Free has quickly come to the aid of many, many animals in dire straits and they didn't disappoint Dolo. Their Wildlife Rescue, Conservation and Education Centre was still in the process of being built and not near completion, so arrangements had to be made to find suitable temporary housing for Dolo until he could be permanently placed in a large enclosure with trees and grass. His life was soon to change, but many things had to be prepared for his confiscation, transportation, veterinary care and checkup, and temporary housing. Dolo's care and well-being was at the top of the priority list, so all of these issues had to be taken care of as quickly as possible in order to remove him and get him to a healthy environment.
Here's the story of Dolo, brought to you by Born Free. All photos, videos and information below is the property of its respective owners.
In March 2011, George Logan, multi-award winning photographer and Born Free friend, joined the Born Free Foundation team in Ethiopia for a very important and special journey -- bringing Dolo the lion to Ensessakotteh where he would have the space and privacy he deserves as well as grass under his paws for the first time.
George's documentation of Dolo's momentous translocation has now been developed into this short video, kindly produced by Duncan Smith.
George Logan is a long-term supporter of Born Free Foundation and the proceeds from his impressive book, "Translocation", which seamlessly and cleverly brings together the wild animals of Africa with the wild landscapes of Scotland, are generously being donated to Ensessakotteh.
You can purchase George's book here - http://www.bornfree.org.uk/give/shops/translocation-photos/
For more information on Dolo and Ensessakotteh, please visit http://www.bornfree.org.uk/campaigns/wildlife-rescue-centres/ethiopia/
You can purchase George's book here - http://www.bornfree.org.uk/give/shops/translocation-photos/
For more information on Dolo and Ensessakotteh, please visit http://www.bornfree.org.uk/campaigns/wildlife-rescue-centres/ethiopia/
Dolo in 2007
Photo by Sisay Taye
Many of Born Free Foundation's projects and campaigns require us to be persistent, patient and prepared to commit for the long haul. Our plans initiated in 2006 to develop Ethiopia's first Wildlife Rescue, Conservation and Education Centre have required these very qualities. However, with support from the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority and His Excellency President Wolde-Giorgis, we are now starting to bring benefit to many rescued wild animals who need our care.
Dolo in temporary housing
Photo by George Logan
In a reflection of the virtues needed to develop Ensessakotteh, one animal in particular has demonstrated his own fortitude – Dolo. An iconic image of this young male lion suffering helped trigger plans for the Centre (see above). Dolo was originally held on a one metre long chain for four years before his removal to a temporary facility in Ethiopia’s Awash National Park.
Finalising the land agreement and sourcing building materials took their time, but finally, on March 22nd 2011, Dolo was moved to his new lifetime care facility at our Centre which will offer him space, shade and peace. A large team including BF Ethiopia Project Director Stephen Brend and Vet Consultant Rea Tschopp, Born Free Foundation Founder Virginia McKenna, Programmes Director Alison Hood, Senior Vet Consultant John Knight and many more accompanied Dolo on his relocation.
A beautiful Ethiopian sunrise welcomed this momentous day for Dolo and after being tranquilised and given a health check by Rea Tschopp, he was placed in a specially made travel crate for the 250km journey to Ensessakotteh. An excited convoy followed Dolo back to Holeta and watched as he took his first tentative steps into his new indoor shelter and bushy sub-range.
- Dolo's rescue © George Logan
Our first task is to ensure Dolo is settled in. Sadly, when we darted him and performed a veterinary exam just prior to his move, our fears about his eyesight were confirmed. Dolo has retinal atrophy, probably due to a nutritional deficiency when young and this has left him with very limited vision. He must therefore get used to his new environment; a space far bigger and more complex and stimulating than anything he has experienced before.
Already he is exploring and his posture and demeanour is improving. Dolo is still a young lion and we hope that ‘Ensessakotteh’ will work its magic on him; turning him from a despondent, depressed animal on the end of a chain to a handsome male who can lay claim to his territory and who will explore the bushes and trees and find a few favourite shady spots to rest up in.
Project Director Stephen Brend reports that “Today, his roar sounds out across Ensessakotteh, and he has space, grass under foot, peace and privacy. He can work his muscles and he can stretch up against the fence higher than he has ever been able to stretch in his life.”
- Dolo in his new enclosure © George Logan
Now that we have completed the building of a secure lion enclosure; which gives consideration to the materials available, the cost and, vitally, the provision of a multifaceted environment for the lions, work will begin on the second lifetime care enclosure. There are already several animals waiting to come to the Rescue Centre with Dolo leading the way for the lions!
Born Free Foundation would like to offer heartfelt thanks to The Cullum Family Trust, Einat Danieli and Born Free Foundation members for supporting the relocation of Dolo and the development of his enclosure - the first lifetime care enclosure at Ensessakotteh!
If you would like to help Born Free to create Ensessakotteh, please consider making a donation andread about other ways you can help here.
For more information read Project Director Stephen Brend's blog on the relocation of Dolo and a report on Dolo's welcome to Ensessakotteh.
Thank you for taking the time to read about Dolo's rescue. There are more lions and other animals out there who need our help and intervention. Animals Matter.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Africa
Today begins the official countdown. Official countdown to what, you ask? The official countdown to my trip to Africa! Yes, I realize that this trip is probably only exciting to me. And for good reason. I haven't taken a real trip in a long time. A real trip being a trip out of the country for more than 2-3 days, and a long time being over ten years. So, as you can see, I'm a bit overdue. So, what's the plan? Where am I going? What exactly will I be doing?
First let me start with how I even came up with the idea to travel to Africa and work with lions. Why Africa, of all places? To work on a lion reserve? Well, It all started with a lion who lived forty years ago. Last year, a friend sent me a link to a YouTube video about this lion named Christian. The video was old and grainy, from the 70's. I instantly recognized the style of dress and found myself intrigued. What exactly were these two guys doing wearing 70's garb ... in Africa? With a lion? With a lion hugging them?
As everyone probably knows by now (unless you've been living under a rock), Christian the Lion was purchased by two Australians (Ace Bourke and John Rendall) at Harrod's department store in London in 1969. Harrod's is a very fancy store and apparently at the time it was chic to sell exotic animals. I won't go into my absolute distaste for the practice of selling wild animals as pets. Anyway, after raising the lion cub for about a year, they realized he was growing too large to keep in London. They needed to find Christian a proper home, and hopefully one that didn't consist of confinement. Fortunately for Ace and John, Virginia McKenna and her husband Bill Travers stopped by the furniture store where they worked. Virginia and Bill had recently starred in the hit movie Born Free, the true story about Elsa the lioness who was raised (and subsequently released, although not entirely successfully) by George and Joy Adamson in Africa.
Virginia and Bill got in touch with George Adamson ("The Father of Lions"), and the wheels were put in motion to take Christian to Africa. The hope was that George could work with Christian and train him how to be a wild lion again, thereby able to feed and defend himself in the wild. This was, after all, a London lion. He was used to riding in a Bentley and sleeping on a bed.
Anyway, as the story goes, Christian was successfully released into the wild and lived a relatively full life as a lion. Or, as far as anyone knows. George was able to keep track of Christian for a few years following his release, but eventually Christian went off to live his life as a lion with his new pride. George did report that Christian had cubs of his own in his autobiography My Pride and Joy. Through the efforts of many caring people, Christian was able to experience real and complete freedom as a wild animal. This in itself was a remarkable thing. Whether he lived for 5 or 10 years following his release is unknown. But he was able to experience freedom; something his parents and grandparents (all zoo lions) had never been able to do.
Back to the video. When I first watched it, I was mesmerized. It shows Ace and John standing on a rocky clearing in Africa as Christian slowly and tentatively makes his way down the hill towards them. It's been a year since Christian was brought to Africa and released so he's not quite sure what to make of seeing his old friends suddenly after so much time. In an instant he recognizes Ace and John and runs to both men and jumps into their arms. If tears don't well up in your eyes while watching this, you should get a checkup. It's truly a heart warming video unlike anything I've seen before.
After watching the video numerous times, I became somewhat obsessed with both Christian and George Adamson. I wanted to know more about these two extraordinary beings, one a lion and one a man. What was George's life like before Christian? What was Christian's life like before George? So I set off on a mission. And that mission was to soak up every possible bit of information I could on these two subjects. This led me to the book Born Free. Then the movie of the same name. Then George's autobiographies. And his wife Joy's. Adrian House's biography titled The Great Safari is an amazingly detailed account of both George's and Joy's lives. After many months of researching all things Adamson, I decided I had to travel to Africa. I've seen the movie Out of Africa and heard all the tales of its heartbreaking beauty, but it's one thing to hear and another thing altogether to experience it for yourself. I knew I had to get to Africa. And I didn't want to just sign up for a safari to view lions from afar. I wanted to actually get to work with lions up close. To feel their fur. To look into their eyes. To try to understand them, even if just a little bit. Not as pets, but as the wild animals they're intended to be.
I decided volunteering in Africa was the way to go. I could meet the local people, learn the local customs. And make some friends along the way. After researching where to go in Africa, I finally settled on Antelope Park in Zimbabwe. Antelope Park is a controversial lion breeding and release program established in 1999. I'll be helping to take care of the lions at the park, walking with them, helping teach them how to stalk and hunt, taking them on night walks, bottle feeding the cubs, cleaning up lion poo, painting signs, mending fences. Anything that's required of me, basically. The program isn't really old enough to have successfully proven itself in the conservation arena and the breeding program has drawn criticism. However, it's also important to consider that drastic efforts may be necessary in order to ensure the future of the African Lion. The statistics from scientists, conservationists, and experts in the field is very disheartening.
Today is Monday and I leave Friday. I'll be gone almost three weeks, but almost four of those days will be traveling. I have a feeling I'm about to embark on something that just may change my life. I hope it does. I'm feeling an odd mix of pre-trip anticipation, but also nervousness, excitement, and a tinge of sadness because I know I'll undoubtedly be sad when it's over. As crazy as it sounds, I think I'll be homesick for Africa after I return. So in order to make myself feel better, I'm already looking into trips for next year. I hope to work alongside a wildlife vet in South Africa, observing and assisting whenever allowed but mostly learning. I've been accepted into a wonderful program and hope to go next May, 2011.
It's now been a year since I first watched the Christian the Lion video on YouTube, and during that time I've read numerous books, white papers, conservation reports, websites, blogs, articles, magazines, etc., in order to learn about the African Lion. And George Adamson. I have the utmost respect for what this man accomplished. What he was doing in the wilds of Africa was highly controversial work at a time when nobody was doing it. In my eyes he was a trailblazer, living alone in the African wilderness, surrounded by his beloved lions and the other dangers Africa has to offer. I would love to know what he knew about lions, to see them through his wise eyes. I have alot to learn and this upcoming trip is just the first step in what I hope to be a long journey.
First let me start with how I even came up with the idea to travel to Africa and work with lions. Why Africa, of all places? To work on a lion reserve? Well, It all started with a lion who lived forty years ago. Last year, a friend sent me a link to a YouTube video about this lion named Christian. The video was old and grainy, from the 70's. I instantly recognized the style of dress and found myself intrigued. What exactly were these two guys doing wearing 70's garb ... in Africa? With a lion? With a lion hugging them?
As everyone probably knows by now (unless you've been living under a rock), Christian the Lion was purchased by two Australians (Ace Bourke and John Rendall) at Harrod's department store in London in 1969. Harrod's is a very fancy store and apparently at the time it was chic to sell exotic animals. I won't go into my absolute distaste for the practice of selling wild animals as pets. Anyway, after raising the lion cub for about a year, they realized he was growing too large to keep in London. They needed to find Christian a proper home, and hopefully one that didn't consist of confinement. Fortunately for Ace and John, Virginia McKenna and her husband Bill Travers stopped by the furniture store where they worked. Virginia and Bill had recently starred in the hit movie Born Free, the true story about Elsa the lioness who was raised (and subsequently released, although not entirely successfully) by George and Joy Adamson in Africa.
Virginia and Bill got in touch with George Adamson ("The Father of Lions"), and the wheels were put in motion to take Christian to Africa. The hope was that George could work with Christian and train him how to be a wild lion again, thereby able to feed and defend himself in the wild. This was, after all, a London lion. He was used to riding in a Bentley and sleeping on a bed.
Anyway, as the story goes, Christian was successfully released into the wild and lived a relatively full life as a lion. Or, as far as anyone knows. George was able to keep track of Christian for a few years following his release, but eventually Christian went off to live his life as a lion with his new pride. George did report that Christian had cubs of his own in his autobiography My Pride and Joy. Through the efforts of many caring people, Christian was able to experience real and complete freedom as a wild animal. This in itself was a remarkable thing. Whether he lived for 5 or 10 years following his release is unknown. But he was able to experience freedom; something his parents and grandparents (all zoo lions) had never been able to do.
Back to the video. When I first watched it, I was mesmerized. It shows Ace and John standing on a rocky clearing in Africa as Christian slowly and tentatively makes his way down the hill towards them. It's been a year since Christian was brought to Africa and released so he's not quite sure what to make of seeing his old friends suddenly after so much time. In an instant he recognizes Ace and John and runs to both men and jumps into their arms. If tears don't well up in your eyes while watching this, you should get a checkup. It's truly a heart warming video unlike anything I've seen before.
After watching the video numerous times, I became somewhat obsessed with both Christian and George Adamson. I wanted to know more about these two extraordinary beings, one a lion and one a man. What was George's life like before Christian? What was Christian's life like before George? So I set off on a mission. And that mission was to soak up every possible bit of information I could on these two subjects. This led me to the book Born Free. Then the movie of the same name. Then George's autobiographies. And his wife Joy's. Adrian House's biography titled The Great Safari is an amazingly detailed account of both George's and Joy's lives. After many months of researching all things Adamson, I decided I had to travel to Africa. I've seen the movie Out of Africa and heard all the tales of its heartbreaking beauty, but it's one thing to hear and another thing altogether to experience it for yourself. I knew I had to get to Africa. And I didn't want to just sign up for a safari to view lions from afar. I wanted to actually get to work with lions up close. To feel their fur. To look into their eyes. To try to understand them, even if just a little bit. Not as pets, but as the wild animals they're intended to be.
I decided volunteering in Africa was the way to go. I could meet the local people, learn the local customs. And make some friends along the way. After researching where to go in Africa, I finally settled on Antelope Park in Zimbabwe. Antelope Park is a controversial lion breeding and release program established in 1999. I'll be helping to take care of the lions at the park, walking with them, helping teach them how to stalk and hunt, taking them on night walks, bottle feeding the cubs, cleaning up lion poo, painting signs, mending fences. Anything that's required of me, basically. The program isn't really old enough to have successfully proven itself in the conservation arena and the breeding program has drawn criticism. However, it's also important to consider that drastic efforts may be necessary in order to ensure the future of the African Lion. The statistics from scientists, conservationists, and experts in the field is very disheartening.
Today is Monday and I leave Friday. I'll be gone almost three weeks, but almost four of those days will be traveling. I have a feeling I'm about to embark on something that just may change my life. I hope it does. I'm feeling an odd mix of pre-trip anticipation, but also nervousness, excitement, and a tinge of sadness because I know I'll undoubtedly be sad when it's over. As crazy as it sounds, I think I'll be homesick for Africa after I return. So in order to make myself feel better, I'm already looking into trips for next year. I hope to work alongside a wildlife vet in South Africa, observing and assisting whenever allowed but mostly learning. I've been accepted into a wonderful program and hope to go next May, 2011.
It's now been a year since I first watched the Christian the Lion video on YouTube, and during that time I've read numerous books, white papers, conservation reports, websites, blogs, articles, magazines, etc., in order to learn about the African Lion. And George Adamson. I have the utmost respect for what this man accomplished. What he was doing in the wilds of Africa was highly controversial work at a time when nobody was doing it. In my eyes he was a trailblazer, living alone in the African wilderness, surrounded by his beloved lions and the other dangers Africa has to offer. I would love to know what he knew about lions, to see them through his wise eyes. I have alot to learn and this upcoming trip is just the first step in what I hope to be a long journey.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)