Introducing
Dame Virginia McKenna
“I am supporting The Great Elephant Migration positive message of coexistence. This exhibit not only raises funds for biodiversity protection but also promotes efforts to deliver a harmonious relationship between humans and elephants. I truly believe in a world where wildlife thrives alongside humans, a vision that has been central to my work with the Born Free Foundation for over 40 years."
Virginia McKenna DBE is a wildlife campaigner, actress and author. Deeply immersed in animal conservation and welfare issues, Virginia co-founded Born Free in 1984 alongside her husband Bill and eldest son Will Travers OBE. The couple had been moved by the plight of Pole Pole, the elephant who appeared alongside them in the film An Elephant Called Slowly and was gifted to London Zoo by the Kenyan government following filming. Today, Virginia is still actively involved with Born Free and serves as a Trustee. Virginia was awarded an OBE in 2004 for her contribution to the arts and animal welfare, and a DBE in 2023 for her contribution to wild animal welfare and compassionate conservation. She has also won awards during her acting career, in which she is most well known for starring as conservationist Joy Adamson in the 1966 film Born Free with her late husband Bill Travers MBE.
