A three-month exhibition of 25 life-sized bronze lions has launched on Bristol Downs today (July 4) as part of a charity campaign. The international wildlife charity, Born Free, has installed the sculptures to raise awareness of the shrinking lion population which has declined by 90 percent in 55 years.
Entitled ‘Born Free Forever’, the exhibit features 25 life-size bronze sculptures of lions. Each representing a real-life lion, with its own unique story, highlighting the grave threats facing big cats both in captivity and in the wild.
Its centrepiece is the Elsa lioness, which sits on top of a 4x4 vehicle, as depicted in the 1966 film Born Free, which starred charity co-founders Virginia McKenna OBE and the late Bill Travers MBE .
