British naturalist and writer, born in Austria. She lived in Kenya from 1937, studying and painting wildlife, native tribesmen and plants. Famously, she was the author of "Born Free" (1960) and its sequels "Elsa" (1961), "Forever Free" (1962) and "Elsa and her Cubs" (1965). A tireless campaigner for wildlife conservation, she was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art in 1977. Three years later, she was murdered by a discharged former employee.
