Keep Wildlife in the Wild
With nearly four decades of experience, Born Free cares for and conserves some of the world’s most iconic, yet persecuted, wild animal species, safeguards habitats, empowers local communities, inspire current and future generations to look after all life on earth, and keep wildlife in the wild.
Why is the project so important?
Every project Born Free undertakes is vitally important. Exposing the brutal impact of the international wildlife trade on endangered species; protecting Eastern lowland gorillas and their habitat; helping communities safeguard their livestock and, thereby, preventing the killing of threatened lions; working with communities to conserve wild tigers; spearheading landscape-level efforts to protect ecosystems, such as the Dja Biosphere reserve in Cameroon and the iconic species that live there. Our unique approach, which we call compassionate conservation, places the welfare of individual wild animals at the heart of our strategies and actions. Our Milestones are ambitious, practical and transformative.
Each milestone we reach, each successfully funded project, will enable Born Free to: increase our support for key wildlife species; enhance our engagement with local communities; apply effective, innovative solutions; and tackle the many pressures facing wildlife and our natural world. Born Free’s mission is to secure a better future for iconic species – lions, tigers, elephant, rhino, gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, pangolins, giraffe and more. We always treat individual wild animals with respect and compassion, as part of functional, viable ecosystems.
“The natural world is vulnerable, as never before. It’s time for compassionate, caring individuals to come together and protect all that we hold dear.”
Milestones
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Raise the Red Flag
CompletedFund our Raise the Red Flag public awareness campaign to reduce the abusive exploitation of wild animals in captivity, in particular our key species and fund 5 school-based environmental clubs in Ethiopia focusing on cheetah, lions and primates. Just 20,000 African lions remain in the wild today, down 80% in 50 years.
Protected species with this milestone
- Lion
- Cheetah
- Primates
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Protecting the Eastern Lowland Gorilla
DonateProtecting the Eastern Lowland Gorilla: Community collaboration with the Pole Pole Foundation (DRC), and protecting elephants and giraffe in (Northern Kenya).
Protected species with this milestone
- Lowland Gorilla
- Giraffe
- Elephant
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Protect community livestock and prevent predator revenge
UpcomingConstruct 20 community ‘cost-shared’ predator proof bomas (PPB) complete with ‘smart’ elements to prevent livestock depredation, protecting thousands of head of livestock, the livelihoods of over 400 people, and minimising the likelihood of revenge attacks and the killing of lions in response to livestock predation. Born Free has built more than 330 bomas, helping more than 6,000 people, 80,000 head of livestock – and the wild predators of southern Kenya.
Protected species with this milestone
- African Lions
- Construction of Bomas to protect Livestock
- Hyena
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Tackle pangolin trafficking and wildlife trade
UpcomingTackle illegal pangolin trafficking in Eastern India, and fight the loss of biodiversity caused by the international wildlife trade. Just in the last decade, over one million wild pangolins have been poached for meat and scales.
Protected species with this milestone
- Pangolins
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Funding lion conservation
UpcomingFund 5 years lion conservation in Northern Kenya, and support tiger conservation and community empowerment in Central India.
Protected species with this milestone
- African Lions
- Tiger
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Conserve the forests in the Dja Biosphere Reserve
UpcomingReaching this large-scale milestone will make it possible for Born Free to conserve the forest habitat of threatened elephants (one elephant is killed for its tusks every 20 minutes), gorillas, chimpanzees and pangolins in Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon.
Protected species with this milestone
- Elephant
- Gorilla
- Pangolin
- Chimpanzee