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'Iconic' lioness rescued from captivity
Elsa behind bars
Elsa was rescued from Circus Martin in Sardinia.

Elsa was facing a lifetime of misery behind bars

A lioness, who shares her name with the iconic lioness in the classic film 'Born Free',  has been rescued from a ramshackle circus in Sardinia, the international wildlife charity The Born Free Foundation and Italian animal welfare organisation LAV have announced.

Believed to be around six years old, Elsa is in relatively good health despite the terrible conditions that she was living in. She is currently being relocated from Circus Martin, to a spacious temporary sanctuary in Tuscany, where she will stay until she can be permanently re-homed at Born Free's Big Cat Rescue Centre in South Africa.

Born Free's Daniel Turner, senior programmes manager for Zoo Check, said: "When I walked up to the barren enclosure, which was essentially just a circle of iron bars within a concrete car park, I was struck by the inadequacy of the dismal conditions this lioness was living in. When told that she was called Elsa - 'like in the film Born Free' - I quite literally had a shiver down my spine, especially as this year marks 30 years since the Foundation was established."

Born Free's founder, actress and conservationist, Virginia McKenna OBE said: "When I heard about this lioness victim called Elsa, for a moment my world rocked. I was suffused with bitter-sweet memories. Fifty years ago my beloved husband Bill and I had flown to Kenya to make the film 'Born Free', the true story of Elsa the lioness's journey to freedom which inspired a generation and changed our lives forever."

"It was back in 1984, that Bill and I began Zoo Check with our son will. The charity evolved into the Born Free Foundation, with the iconic 'Elsa' as its symbol, and so in the year of our 30th anniversary, what could be more poignant, more momentous, than rescuing this new Elsa from her life of misery and suffering? Giving her the proper home she deserves."

Elsa cannot be returned to the wild as she would not be able to survive on her own, but will remain in Tuscany for up to a year, pending the ongoing court case, before she is ready to make the long journey 'home' to Africa.

Once she has arrived at the Born Free Foundation's rescue centre near Port Elizabeth, she will enjoy a spacious enclose, surrounded by the sights and sounds of wild Africa.

The Born Free Foundation has set up an urgent appeal for Elsa. To make a donation, please visit www.bornfree.org.uk.

Image (C) Born Free Foundation

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Birmingham Dogs Home makes urgent appeal

News Story 1
 Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.

The rescue centre has seen a dramatic increase in dogs coming into its care, and is currently caring for over 200 dogs. With rising costs and dropping temperatures, the charity is calling for urgent support.

It costs the charity £6,000 per day to continue its work.

Fi Harrison, head of fundraising and communications, said: "It's heart-breaking for our team to see the conditions some dogs arrive in. We really are their last chance and hope of survival."

More information about the appeal can be found here. 

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News Shorts
Avian flu confirmed at premises in Cornwall

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in commercial poultry at a premises near Rosudgeon, Cornwall.

All poultry on the infected site will be humanely culled, and a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place. Poultry and other captive birds in the 3km protection zone must be housed.

The case is the second avian flu case confirmed in commercial poultry this month. The H5N5 strain was detected in a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, in early November. Before then, the disease had not been confirmed in captive birds in England since February.

The UK chief veterinary officer has urged bird keepers to remain alert and practise robust biosecurity.

A map of the disease control zones can be found here.