George Will

The father of Lions, George Adamson was one the greatest conservationists of all time. He was a man beyond his time - a hero whose devotion to the lions of Africa is unprecedented. He sacrificed his life for the preservation and well-being of endangered lions of Africa - battling against poachers, bandits, bureaucracy and his own frailty of age, simply to preserve habitat - fauna and flora of Kenya's wilderness.

George Alexander Graham Adamson was born February 3rd 1906 in Etawah, British India. His mother Katherine was English and her father Harry was Irish. After studying in Great Britain, George and his brother Terrance moved to Kenya to work on a coffee plantation. This lifestyle, however, does not suit the adventurous nature of George and after trying various businesses such as trade and goat gold prospecting, he eventually accepted the position of warden in Kenya's Game Department in 1938. In 1942, he married the Austrian artist Joy Bally. Together, the couple lived happily loving nature in their exquisite environment.

It was not until 1956 that fate has a twist that would forever change the lives of Adamsons. Earlier this year, George has learned that the lion was terrorizing some villages maneating. George and his party went in pursuit of the male lion and killed the Maneater. Currently, the lioness burst out of nowhere and charged them unexpectedly - leaving men no choice but to kill her. It was only later that George learned the reason for the aggression of the lions "- her three little babies.

Knowing full well that the cubs would not survive on their own in the wild, George has three lionesses baby home where he and Joy tried several recipes, until finally they could develop a formula for lion milk and fed the Cubs agreed on. Over time, the Cubs increased in young adorable and playful little lions, bringing much happiness to George and Joy who had never a child of their own joy of having three miscarriages during their marriage.

As the Cubs have increased, it became clear they could no longer keep them as pets and then stuffed the two elders were sent to Rotterdam zoo in the Netherlands - excellent facility where George visited them years later. The younger brother, named Elsa, was kept after insistence of Joy who, despite conventional wisdom and advice - listed on a nearly impossible task of making a wild lion near home. This had never been done before. George supported Joy in his decision, and together the two set out to teach Elsa to hunt and fend for herself in the African bush.

After several months of hard work and dedication, Elsa finally kill her first. After some time she has learned to interact with other lions and so could finally be truly independent in nature - being able to "live free" after being "born free. This remarkable story was soon cinematized and much fame and limelight upon George and Joy. Humble as always, George avoided most of the attention and began his long journey and a little lonely to safeguard the population of wild lions in the region. Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna who played the parts of George and Joy respectively in the Oscar-winning film Born Free became great animal lovers and lifelong friends of George.

George continued his work with lions in the Meru National Park in the Northern Frontier Province of Kenya. Unfortunately, only five died of what was believed to be Elsa's disease ticks, breathing his last tour of George - who wears a lot of grief to a man who would experience many more heart breaking moments life. Only five years after the movie, George had to retire from his position as principal security after one of his lions 'Boy' bit the son of another warden.

George has been removed from the park.