This woman is known as Joy Adamson. But in fact, at birth, her name was completely different, her real name was Frederick-Victoria Gessner. Joy was born on January 20, 1910 in the Czech town of Troppau. He grew up in a wealthy family: his father was a large manufacturer. Vicki, like all the girls of her noble circle, was engaged in drawing, embroidery, learned music, horse riding. But most of all, she liked to play with her peers in the hunt for lions, she herself assigned the role of a fearless
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This woman is known as Joy Adamson. But in fact, at birth, her name was completely different, her real name was Frederick-Victoria Gessner. Joy was born on January 20, 1910 in the Czech town of Troppau. He grew up in a wealthy family: his father was a large manufacturer. Vicki, like all the girls of her noble circle, was engaged in drawing, embroidery, learned music, horse riding. But most of all, she liked to play with her peers in the hunt for lions, she herself assigned the role of a fearless lioness in these games. Frederica-Joy often visited the zoo, where she compared the behavior of humans and animals. Subsequently, she wrote several articles on psychoanalysis, which Dr. Freud himself praised.
After her first two failed marriages, she finally met her man, George Adamson, a manly, sun-scorched man in love with Africa and its nature. Africa is Joy's second home.
In 1956, an event happened that turned the life of a married couple. George had to shoot the lion, which terrorized the local villages, and with it the furious female. There are three little lion cubs left. The Adamsons took the babies to their home, went out, then two were given to the zoo, and the third, a little lioness Elsa, Joy left in the house. The lioness grew up as a family member, and the locals were not afraid when they saw the mistress driving around in a car with a dangerous beast.
Joy's idea was to reconcile wildlife and man. She didn't want Elsa to live her whole life in captivity like a domestic cat. The goal was to accustom the lioness to kindness and affection, gradually releasing her. The experiment worked. Animal.
They were released from time to time, and once they met a young lion at large, she disappeared for a long time. A year later, however, she returned to the Adamsons with three lion cubs to raise. Joy wanted to convey her practice to the general public. She gave interviews, wrote articles. In 1960, she published her famous book, Born Free, which was translated into 28 languages. Four years later, the work was filmed and also flew around the world, causing tears and understanding among grateful viewers. The film received a well-deserved Oscar.
In the wake of the film's success, Joy began traveling around the world creating the Elsa Foundations. The collected millions of dollars were intended for one purpose - to save wild animals and their return to the natural environment.
After Elsa's death, Joy was given a female cheetah. About her story, the writer told in his new bestseller “Spotted Sphinx”.
Joy's career lasted for many years, despite many difficulties and disagreements with her husband. On January 3, 1980, the world received the tragic news that Joy Adamson was killed. The crime was committed by her servant, allegedly for unpaid money.
According to Joy’s will, her body was cremated and her ashes scattered over the graves of her favorite animals, the lioness Elsa and the cheetah Pippa. Nine years later, her husband, George Adamson, was killed by poachers.
Today, the work of the Adamsons in Kenya continues their associates, many of whom came to Africa after reading Joy's books. Her latest bestseller was an autobiography called Wild Heart. /