Main content

Elsa the Lioness

First transmitted in 1961, David Attenborough visits Joy and George Adamson in Kenya and meets Elsa the lioness and her cubs shortly before Elsa's death.

First transmitted in 1961, David Attenborough travels to Meru National Park in Kenya to visit Joy and George Adamson and meet Elsa the lioness and her cubs shortly before Elsa's death.

In the late 1950s, game warden George and his wife Joy became the carers of three orphaned cubs - Elsa, Big One and Lustica - after George had been forced to kill their mother. Big One and Lustica were eventually sent to Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands, but Elsa remained with the Adamsons. Joy's quest to train Elsa to survive in the wild and Elsa's subsequent independence became the basis for the book and film Born Free.

Now living in the wild with her own three cubs in Meru National Park, David joins the Adamsons as they try and track down Elsa to check up on her wellbeing.

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Sat 25 Aug 2018 19:00
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four

Clip

Sir David Attenborough - The Early Years

Sir David Attenborough - The Early Years

This programme is part of a Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four Collection showcasing the early work of Sir David Attenborough.


Attenborough with Elsa

Attenborough with Elsa
On his way to film Zoo Quest to Madagascar in 1961, David Attenborough stopped in northern Kenya to film Elsa the lioness, famously tamed by Joy Adamson.

About Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four Collection programmes

Programmes are selected, in part, for their historical context and reflect the broadcast standards and attitudes of their time, which may not accord to some current Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ editorial guidelines. We aim to select programmes which can be shown in their entirety but in some cases edits are required.

Credits

Producer David Attenborough
Presenter David Attenborough
Participant George Adamson
Participant Joy Adamson
Camera Operator Geoffrey Mulligan

Broadcasts

Featured in...

Something in the post from Sir David Attenborough

"Never before has the delivery of a letter caused such a stir."