SHABA — 1980 · Murder
Murder of Joy Adamson
Naturalist Joy Adamson, world-famous for 'Born Free', her account of raising the lioness Elsa and returning her to the wild, was found dead on 3 January 1980 near her camp in Kenya's Shaba National Reserve, where she ran a leopard project. Early reports said she had been killed by a lion, but police found the wounds could not have been caused by an animal. A young former worker whom she had recently dismissed, and who said he had not been paid, was detained. At trial in 1981 he was found guilty of murder; because the court ruled he had been a juvenile at the time, he was given indefinite detention instead of the death penalty. The case fuelled long debate about Adamson and her treatment of staff.
- Date
- 1980
- Place
- Isiolo, Kenya, Shaba, KE
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 0.6600, 37.8000 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 3 January 1980Joy Adamson was found dead near her camp in Shaba Reserve.
- January 1980Police said the death was murder, not a lion attack.
- February 1980A former camp worker was detained.
- August 1981He was convicted; ruled a juvenile, he received indefinite detention.
Sources
- The Guardian — The man who killed Joy Adamson speaks out (2004) theguardian.com ↗
- The New York Times — Kenyan is convicted in death of Joy Adamson nytimes.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Joy Adamson en.wikipedia.org ↗
- The Guardian
- The New York Times
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.