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Auto major Land Rover has agreed to a major sponsorship with the Born Free Foundation, a global wildlife charity, continuing its Global Conservation Partnership first forged in 2002, and confirming Born Free as its primary global conservation partner.
Land Rover's association with Born Free dates back to the beginning where Land Rover’s were featured in the classic wildlife film ‘Born Free’, starring the Foundation's founders, Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers. The requirement was to rely on the Land Rover vehicles to reach the wildlife in the most remote of locations.
Land Rover will supply vehicles and provide financial support to the Foundation for the next five years. According to the sponsorship programme, Land Rover vehicles will be deployed by the Born Free Foundation in India, Kenya and South Africa, where they support the charity's vital field work. Additional support will assist conservation and wild animal welfare initiatives in other parts of Africa and southern Asia, and in the UK, where the charity is based.
Since 2002, Born Free has managed a sanctuary for rescued tigers in Bannerghatta National Park in Bangalore. The enclosures offer each tiger a hectare of natural forest habitat and access to water, in which they typically love to relax. At Bannerghatta, with the assistance of partner Wildlife SOS, Born Free is giving rescued tigers privacy in a section of the park closed to visitors, given that they are unsuitable for release into the wild.
Land Rover’s on-going partnership will help sustain some of the Foundation's most important projects. In Kenya, a fleet of Land Rover Defenders enables its teams, working with the Kenya Wildlife Service, to reach remote areas to apprehend poachers and remove deadly traps. During times of severe drought, the Land Rovers have helped in bringing food to animals in danger of starvation.
Further vehicle support helps make a difference in Malawi, where the Foundation helps rehabilitate monkeys rescued from the illegal pet trade, and in Sri Lanka, where a specially modified Defender is able to reach and rescue orphaned baby elephants and other animals.
amritanair.ghaswalla@thehindu.co.in
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