Born Free’s Big Cat Sanctuary at Shamwari Private Game Reserve
Shamwari's two big cat sanctuaries offer a home for lions and leopards rescued from zoos, circuses, private ownership and other captive facilities.
Rescue & Care
Born Free never forgets individual animals. Every animal counts.
Where possible, we rescue vulnerable wild animals from appalling conditions where they have been confined, exploited or abused. We rehabilitate them and, whenever possible, release them back into the wild. Sadly, many of the wild animals we rescue have been too damaged by captivity to return to the wild.
You can read about all of the animals we have successfully rescued on our ‘Success Stories’ page, and on our Circus, Zoo, Dolphinaria and Exotic Pet Rescue pages.
Circus Rescue Zoo Rescue Dolphin Rescue Exotic Pet Rescue
Below you can find links to pages about all of the sanctuaries and projects we support.
Our Sanctuaries
Wild animals at our sanctuaries are given lifetime care and spacious environments where they can live out their days in the peace and respect they need and deserve. Not only do we run our own sanctuaries and work with partners on sanctuary projects, we work with partners around the world to provide emergency treatment and care to free-ranging wild animals, and support independent rescue centres.
Ensessa Kotteh
Ensessa Kotteh is a 190-acre sanctuary in Ethiopia, which houses wild animals in need – orphaned or confiscated from illegal trade or ownership.
Bannerghatta Tiger Sanctuary
Established by Born Free and managed by Wildlife SOS, Bannerghatta Tiger Sanctuary provides a lifetime home to rescued tiger Gopal.
Ape Action Africa
Mefou Primate Sanctuary in Cameroon cares for more than 250 primates including endangered chimpanzees and western lowland gorillas.
Ngamba Island
Ngamba Island is a 100-acre rainforest sanctuary for chimpanzees in need.
Limbe Wildlife Centre
Limbe Wildlife Centre near Douala, Cameroon, is a highly respected sanctuary for chimpanzees, gorillas and other primates.
Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary
Born Free USA operates a 175-acre primate sanctuary in Texas. One of the largest primate sanctuaries in the US, it provides a safe, permanent home to monkeys.
GRI - Zambia Primate Project
Established by and with on-going support from Born Free, Zambia Primate Project (ZPP) is one of Africa’s most successful primate release programmes.
Arcturos
The Arcturos Environmental Centre and Bear Sanctuary is home to rescued orphan brown bear cubs, injured bears, and bears saved from the dancing bear trade.
Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary
Born Free works with Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary to provide safe, natural enclosures for wild cats, rescued from zoos, circuses and other captive facilities.
Wildlife Emergency Response Unit
The Wildlife Emergency Response Unit (WERU) provides field veterinary-related support for wildlife emergencies and conservation projects across Malawi.
Animanatura Wild Sanctuary
Born Free works with Animanatura Wild Sanctuary to provide safe, natural enclosures for big cats, rescued from zoos, circuses and other captive facilities.
UK Wildlife Rescues
In the UK we support the work of numerous wildlife rescues and wildlife hospitals to rescue and rehabilitate injured, sick and orphaned wild animals.
ANIMAL RESCUE CONSIDERATIONS
Born Free regularly receives calls for help about captive animals in need. Sadly, there are many more animals in need of rescue than there are sanctuary spaces worldwide.
It is vital we use precious sanctuary spaces not only to rescue animals in need, but to also highlight the problems facing captive wildlife (for example, private ownership, trade, circuses, and substandard zoos). We therefore have many considerations to make when we are informed about a captive animal in need.
View our flowchart to give you an idea of what we must take into account when we receive information about a captive animal from supporters.