Will Travers interview

Will Travers interview

Will Barber-Taylor: Hello and welcome to the Centre Think Tank interview series, In Conversation. I am your host, Will Barber-Taylor. In this episode, I am delighted to be joined by Will Travers OBE, President of the Born Free Foundation.

Will Travers: It is very nice to be on the show, Will. Hopefully it will not get too confusing with two Wills.

Will Barber-Taylor: I hope not. It is great to have you on. For listeners who may not have heard of Born Free, could you explain what it is and what you do?

Will Travers: Certainly. Quite fortuitously, my parents, Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, were chosen to star in the film Born Free in the 1960s. In 1964, they went to Kenya to play George and Joy Adamson in the film adaptation of Joy Adamson’s book. The story follows two wildlife conservationists who successfully release an orphaned lioness, Elsa, back into the wild against considerable odds and advice.

Both the book and film were hugely successful, and production took nearly a year. During that time, my parents worked closely with lions—not circus lions, as was initially attempted, but lions that had not been mistreated. They worked alongside George Adamson, who served as technical adviser.

When filming ended, most of the lions went to zoos and safari parks. However, three—Boy, Girl and Ugas—were successfully returned to the wild by George, mirroring Elsa’s story. My parents became deeply fascinated by this experience. My father began making wildlife documentaries and feature films, including one called An Elephant Called Slowly. It tells the fictional story of two people house-sitting in Kenya, where three elephants turn out to be the unexpected residents.

One of those elephants, Pole Pole—whose name means “slowly” in Swahili—had originally been captured as a gift for London Zoo. She was diverted to appear in the film. After filming, my parents asked if she could be released back into the wild with Daphne and David Sheldrick. The authorities agreed, but only if another wild elephant was captured to honour the original gift. Rather than support that system, Pole Pole went to London Zoo.

Ten years later, my parents learned she was struggling in captivity and that her future was uncertain. They visited her, and there is a famous photograph of my mother and father reaching across the moat in the Elephant House at London Zoo as Pole Pole stretches out her trunk to touch their hands. It is a remarkable image.

We launched a campaign to return her to Africa. Although we found a sanctuary willing to take her, the zoo declined. They attempted to move her to Whipsnade, but the transfer failed. After she injured her foot, she was euthanised.

That experience prompted serious questions about animal welfare in zoos and the lack of independent oversight. We established a small organisation called Zoo Check with just six pounds. A few years later, Zoo Check evolved into the Born Free Foundation.

Today, Born Free operates across four pillars: conservation, education, animal rescue and care, and policy. We span a wide range of activities, some of which I am sure we will discuss.

Will Barber-Taylor: It is a fascinating story. Your research and reports bring these issues to life, including your recent report on polar bears in captivity across the US, Europe and Asia. What prompted this particular study?

Will Travers: Two things. First, public attitudes are shifting. Independent polling suggests that 80 to 89 percent of people oppose keeping large, wide-ranging mammals in captivity. Polar bears fall squarely into that category.

Second, polar bears were the first species we studied more than 35 years ago, when Paul Horsman examined their welfare in British zoos. The findings highlighted high levels of stereotypic behaviour—repetitive, abnormal actions animals display when coping with unnatural environments. Zoos are profoundly unnatural settings for polar bears.

We felt it was time to revisit the issue. Sadly, little has changed. There are still hundreds of polar bears in captivity—151 in Europe alone. That is a damning indictment.

Will Barber-Taylor: Your report calls for a legislative ban and urges zoos to phase out polar bears. How realistic is that, and how long might it take?

Will Travers: In the UK, I once thought we were close. Thirty-seven years ago, there were around 18 to 20 polar bears in British and Irish zoos. That number dropped to two or three. I believed it marked the end of keeping them in captivity here. Yet today, we are back to 12. We have gone backwards.

The approach must be twofold: persuading zoos to reconsider and encouraging governments to strengthen regulations. Governments may hesitate to impose outright bans, but they can introduce stringent requirements—such as vast enclosures with varied topography and strict limits on stocking density. While not technically a ban, such criteria would likely be unworkable for most zoos.

As for timing, polar bears in zoos live on average 17 years for males and 21 for females. Phasing out captivity will take time.

Will Barber-Taylor: Climate is another concern, particularly in warmer countries such as Italy. How important is it to highlight the mismatch between their natural habitat and zoo environments?

Will Travers: It is crucial. Polar bears belong in the Arctic. Even with climate change, average Arctic summer temperatures hover around 10 degrees Celsius, dropping far lower in winter. Housing them in Italy—or previously in Alexandria, Egypt—in outdoor enclosures is deeply inappropriate.

There is also an irony. The large, concrete-heavy enclosures required for polar bears are carbon-intensive to construct. We are confining a species threatened by climate change in facilities that contribute to the same crisis.

Will Barber-Taylor: Your report also compares mortality rates in captivity to those in the wild under climate stress. How can the global polar bear population be sustained?

Will Travers: It is deeply troubling that mortality rates in zoos mirror those in the increasingly fragile wild. In captivity, food, veterinary care and protection are guaranteed. Survival rates should be higher—but they are not.

Ultimately, sustaining polar bears means addressing climate change itself. We must reduce fossil fuel dependence, invest heavily in renewables and prioritise nature-based solutions. Experts estimate that $800 billion annually is needed for global nature-based climate mitigation—half the US defence budget.

We must decide what is essential versus merely desirable. Survival—ours and the natural world’s—is essential.

Will Barber-Taylor: Turning briefly to the fur trade, how can governments be pressured to end it?

Will Travers: The UK banned fur farming in 2003. However, we still import around £75 million worth of fur annually. We outsourced the problem.

Legislation matters, but consumer choice is powerful. The Fur Free Retailer programme lists major brands—Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Boss and many others—that have abandoned fur. Consumers can drive change by supporting those brands.

Will Barber-Taylor: What about rewilding? Can it coexist with farming?

Will Travers: Yes, and it already does in places such as Knepp Estate in Sussex and Aigas Field Studies Centre in Scotland. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. We should not accept that.

Rewilding and sustainable agriculture can coexist. It requires prioritisation and resisting incremental erosion of natural spaces through “exceptional cases” that gradually degrade ecosystems.

Will Barber-Taylor: Finally, what more can governments do globally to protect wildlife?

Will Travers: We already have major agreements: the Convention on Migratory Species, CITES, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and new pandemic frameworks. The challenge is implementation and political will.

We need a “One Health, One Welfare” approach—recognising the interconnectedness of human, animal and ecosystem health.

Increasingly, I place my faith in individuals. During the pandemic, Born Free cut international flights by 75 percent. I have personally taken only one business and one personal flight since 2020. If enough individuals change behaviour, the cumulative impact will be transformative.

Will Barber-Taylor: If listeners want to learn more or read the polar bear report, where should they go?

Will Travers: Visit www.bornfree.org. We are also active on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok. If you share our values, we would welcome you as part of the Born Free family.

Will Barber-Taylor: Thank you again for your time.

Will Travers: My pleasure.