TWENTY-FIVE life-sized bronze statues of lions will be unveiled today in Edinburgh by international wildlife charity Born Free.
The statues include one of Elsa, the lion made famous in the 1966 film Born Free.
The exhibition will spend the next three months in The Meadows, with three of the statues appearing in St Andrew Square.
The show has already visited Bristol, London, and Newcastle.
Australian sculptures Gillie and Marc created the lions for the exhibition.
Virginia McKenna, who starred in the film and co-founded the charity, said: “I am overjoyed to be bringing our beautiful lion exhibition, ‘Born Free Forever’, to Scotland, a country [that] has a special place in my heart as it was where, in 1969, my late husband Bill and I worked together on bringing Gavin Maxwell’s magical story, Ring of Bright Water, to the big screen.
“I have been back many times, most recently in the summer of 2021.
“Tragically, since that time, wild lion numbers have declined catastrophically – and Born Free is determined to do something about it.
“That is why I urge everyone who can to please visit this incredible exhibition and discover why this magnificent pride of lions means so much to Born Free.
“Each one has its own unique and powerful true story.
“Through those individual stories, visitors will learn about the plight of lions in captivity, the challenges they face in the wild – where they belong – and what we can all do to help.”
Read more stories on Scottish Field’s wildlife pages.
Plus, don’t miss Keith Kingland’s Arctic tern article in the October’s luxury issue of Scottish Field magazine.
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