Joy Adamson

Joy Adamson (1910-1980) was a naturalist, best known as the author and main character of the book, Born Free, which described her experiences in saving the life of a lioness, Elsa.

She was born Joy Friedericke Victoria Gessner in Austria. With her third husband, George Adamson, she made her home in Kenya. She studied and painted animals in the wild, and became famous as a result of the publication of Born Free in 1960. Several sequels were also published. She later separated from her husband, and was living alone when murdered by natives.