PROTECT ENDANGERED SPECIES IN AFRICA
plan to combat wildlife trafficking. The pictures include a lion in a jail and monkeys begging on the street.
The Little Cat With The Big Cat shot was done for a cat food brand, who gave a donation to Born Free for the picture to be taken at their sanctuary.
George said: “I photographed the big cat, then photographed the little cat separately, and we added it in. It wouldn’t have ended well otherwise.”
He has photographed every kind of African animal including lions, elephants, gorillas, zebras, cheetahs, giraffes and black and white rhinos.
He said: “I love photographing all the animals in Africa, from the hyenas to the wildebeest, but I particularly love photographing lions. There is something so magnificent about the way they move and how inquisitive they are.
“There are probably only about 1500 big male lions in Africa, from the 20,000 lions left overall, and over the years I’ve got to know quite a few, perhaps not to talk to but certainly by appearance and name.
“I love the history of their family groups and the interaction between animals and prides, which can often be brutal.
“Likewise, there are so few ‘ big tusker’ elephants left – perhaps just 30 in Africa with tusks that go all the way to the ground.”
George, who has an animal watering hole named after him in Ethiopia, describes being in Africa as his “happy place” but says there have been hairy moments too.
He said: “I think my most dangerous close encounters are likely to have been with snakes or killer bees but being charged by a lion is quite a common thing as lions like to do a ‘mock charge’ run at you, usually just to see you off.
“The first time I was charged, we had parked up unaware that a male and female lion were getting ‘ friendly’ nearby and the male suddenly appeared and came running at me where I was sitting on the ground.
“I remember putting my camera in front of my face, expecting to be swiped, but thankfully it just charged up growling and then backed away. It was pretty terrifying.
“We probably get ‘mock charged’ every few trips but that’s all part of it. When a lion charges, I just try to stay calm.”
George often accompanies staff from the Born Free Foundation on missions to rescue animals being held captive for commercial or other exploitation reasons.
He said: “I went on one rescue in Ethiopia, to a military base right on the Somalian border.
“To see a lion rescued from where it spends its days tied to a post or kept in a bunker is hugely rewarding.
“Some of the lions rescued like this have never seen the sky or felt the grass under their feet so to see them eventually being released back into the wild is truly mindblowing.”
Dad- of- two George, who took up photography as a teenager, made his firstst trip to Africa 30 years ago.
He quickly switched from taking partrt in organised safari tours and met actressss Virginia McKenna, now 87, who foundeded the Born Free Foundation with her latete husband, actor Bill Travers.
The couple starred in the 1966 film whichch told the true story of conservationiststs Joy and George Adamson who rescueded an orphaned lioness cub, Elsa, andnd successfully returned her to the wild.
George, who lives in London, said:d: “What Virginia saw when she was mak-king the film Born Free drove her to makee a difference. She is 87 andandisis still out there working tirelessly.”