Mara the Lioness are quite convinced that we did the right thing in opposing her release and that for many years to come in Whipsnade Park she will be well-fed, contented and ... safe."" (Irene Grindlay, 1966) It is not known how long Mara resided at Whipsnade Park. The life span of a lion in the wild is approximately 12 years, while those in captivity have been known to live for more than 20. If Mara was fortunate she would have died in the mid to late seventies. Mara the Lioness Mara the Lioness is an animal actor who appeared as Elsa in
Born Free The film was one of the most popular movies at the box-office in Britain during 1966. Won Nomination The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: The book "Born Free" (1960) was followed by two other books, "Living Free" (1961) and "Forever Free" (1963). In 1972, a film sequel entitled "Living Free" was released. While deriving its name from the second book, the film was based on the third book in the series. It starred Susan Hampshire and Nigel Davenport as Joy and George Adamson. A documentary follow-up to "Born Free", entitled "The Lions Are Free", was