Living Free (1972) - full transcript

Living free

Living free

Free to wander

Or to linger

Where you want to be

We were born to be free

Eagle soaring

Lion roaring

Wild wind blowing

River flowing
swiftly to the sea

What a joy to be free



Freedom is a happy thing

It's a bell we ring,
a song we sing

Freedom is a lamp we light

In the dark of night
We've got the right to be

Living free

Really free

Loving, caring

Giving, sharing

That's how it can be

That's the way it should be

Freedom is a happy thing

It's a bell we ring,
a song we sing

Freedom is a lamp we light

In the dark of night



We've got the right to be

Living free

Really free

Loving, caring

Giving, sharing

That's how it can be

That's the way it should be

Living free

My name is Joy Adamson.

And for many years,
my husband George
was senior game warden

of the northern frontier
district in Kenya.

For some of those years, we
had a lioness for a friend

whose name was Elsa.

Get down,
you fool.

Because of the danger
from poachers,

George and I had been
looking for a new home
for Elsa and her family.

So when the trouble came,
George knew the area
I was scouting

and could send Nuru
to find me.

I paused briefly
in a Masai village

to witness
an increasingly rare sight
in modern east Africa.

The rituals and ceremonies
of the Morani,
or young warriors,

prior to a hunting expedition.

Nuru, what is it?

It's Elsa.

Very sick.

Well, what do you mean?

I think she's dying.

I think she's dying.

I think she's dying.

How could she be?

She'd seemed in perfect health
when she brought her babies
to visit us at Christmas.

She and her sisters
had been our babies once.

And we, their only family.

But from the very beginning,
there was a special feeling
between Elsa and ourselves.

Of course, it was hard
not to love them all.

But when they grew older,

it became clear that we
couldn't cope with all three.

Sadly, we had to let
Elsa's two sisters
go to a zoo in Holland.

But we refused
to part with her.

In return, she gave us
the gift of her love

and friendship and trust.

A gift she extended to Nuru,
our houseman,

and Makedde,
our chief game scout, as well.

But it was
when she became fully grown
that our difficulties began.

The final straw was
the elephant stampede
she caused.

Not the two-year-old
baby elephant she brought
home for a souvenir,

but the damage that had
been done to local crops.

Although we suspected
there would be trouble,

we were stunned
when John Kendall,

the district commissioner
and George's boss,

told us we couldn't
keep Elsa any longer.

I'm not responsible
for the decision.

Don't you see she's
too big now to be
allowed to roam about.

Even with Nuru or,
with all respect, yourselves.

You can't keep her caged
all the time,

that would only frustrate her
and could make her vicious.

I'm sorry, but I think
you've got to find some zoo
that will take her.

I'm certain you'll have
no difficulty.

She'd make a wonderful
attraction for any zoo.

Well, of course we've
always known that...

I'm certain we can
easily find a good zoo
for her in a month.

I don't want her
to go to a zoo.

I want to set her free.

You're mad.

You can't be serious.
You'd be sentencing
her to death.

You might just as well
shoot her here.

John's right.
She can't fend for herself.
She's never killed to eat.

She'd starve
in the bush.

But we could teach her.

You've waited too long.
Anyway, it's never
been done successfully.

But we could try.
You know how
intelligent she is.

Well, we could
teach her, train her.

George, please.
Let's try.

I know you think I'm foolish,
but I know Elsa.

She'd be miserable
in a zoo. Miserable.

Don't you see?
She's been free too long.

John, as a friend,
just give us three months
to try. Please!

Please.

All right. I'll get you
your three months,
but you're wasting your time.

For a long while, it seemed
as if John Kendall was right.

When we introduced her
to her first boyfriend,

it was a disaster.

She had no idea
how to fend for herself.

And finally, she became so ill
that she almost died.

It won't do.

Look, by now
it's perfectly obvious
we've made a mistake.

She can't fend for herself.
She can't live with
other animals.

Can't do anything
a wild lion has to do
to survive.

You've... Well, we've made
too good a job of her.

Made her tame
and it's too late to try
to make her go wild now.

All we're doing
is torturing her,
making her miserable.

How can you be so cruel?

Do you think I enjoy it?

I don't know what's
going on in that head
of yours anymore.

You've got
this fixed idea...

What's wrong
with a zoo anyway?

Nothing.

Except she won't be free.

Is freedom so important?

Yes! Yes, it is.

She was born free
and she has a right
to live free.

Well, why don't we live
in a nice, comfortable city?
Other people do.

But we've chosen to live here
because it represents
freedom to us.

Because we can

breathe here.

That's because
we're fit for it.

But she can be, too!

She can.

She can.

She'd be safe in a zoo.

Oh, yes, safe.

And fat. And dull.

And lazy. Like some cow
on a milking machine.

Look, Joy,
tell me honestly.

You just don't
want to give her up.

What you're hoping is that
she can go on living out here,

wild but not too wild,
and you can see her
every now and then.

That's it, isn't it?

It's not the whole truth.

But I won't deny
I would like it.

It's impossible.
It can't happen.

If she were able to go wild,
which I doubt, then that'll
be the end of it.

You'll never see her again.

But at least
she'd be free.

At least she wouldn't be
in a cage for the rest
of her life.

But she recovered

and proved that she could
indeed hold her own
as a wild lioness.

But still,
she remained our friend

and always brought her cubs
to visit us whenever
we camped in her territory.

We rarely caught
a glimpse of her mate,

but we were always
aware of his presence

somewhere nearby.

Although the cubs seemed
to sense the special bond
between their mother and us,

and although they made
themselves at home
and accepted their free meals,

and the cod-liver oil
they were so mad about,

they kept their distance, too.

For our part,
George and I had agreed

never to fondle or
to hold them, as we had Elsa,

but rather to let them
grow up wild and free.

From the start,
the leader of the cubs
was one of the two males.

Jespah, which in Swahili
means, "brave leader."

And he was, in fact,
the bravest and the brightest
of the three.

Little Elsa, like her mother
had once been,

was the smallest of
the litter, but very clever.

The third cub,
another male, was very shy,

so we called him Gopa,

which in Swahili
means, "timid."

Little Elsa worshiped Jespah,

while cautious Gopa
always brought up the rear.

They were a happy family.

But now, if Nuru was right,
Elsa was dying.

If it was true, who would
look after the cubs?

Thanks, Des.

So it wasn't poachers?

No, it was definitely
some kind of infection,

though there have been
poachers around.

And her mate?

Come to think of it,
I haven't seen
the cub's father at all.

That's very strange.

What about the cubs?

They've disappeared.

But they'll starve!
They're much too young
to fend for themselves.

Yes, Joy,
I know.

I'm sorry.

You must be tired.

I'll be all right
now you're here.

Will you take me
to where she is now?

Yes.

Is this all
that remains of Elsa?

Of our life together?

Is this the end?

No.

She'll always be alive
for us. You know that.

Yes.

Yes, she will.

It sounds like the cubs.

Better look.

They'd grown considerably
since I'd seen them last,

but it was plain that
they were still puzzled

by the disappearance
of their mother.

And then I did
a very foolish thing.

Jespah.

Poor little Jespah.

Hey!

We'd better get something
on that straightaway.

Yes, I know what
I did wrong.

I know I said
I would never try
to treat them like pets.

Never try
to touch them.

Well, the exact words were,

"They were born wild,
so they have to live wild."

But how can one be sure
that they'll live at all,
now that Elsa's dead?

Well...

They'll either live or die,

like other wild animals,
won't they?

But if you think that's
easy for me to say,

you're wrong.

I know.
Thank you.

The thing is, they're
too young to hunt
for themselves.

If they were
part of a pride,
they'd learn.

They may join a pride,
with any luck at all.

Or they may not.
As it stands,
we're their pride.

Ah, Joy,
it just is not...

Now, listen,
George, please!

We could teach them
to hunt for themselves.
We did it with Elsa.

And it would be much
easier with them because
they're already wild.

Well, Jespah's intelligent,
he'd soon learn.

And then he'd teach
the others.

We don't have the time.
We had six months with Elsa.

Now we have
no time at all.
And me?

I shouldn't be here.
I have work to do.

George, isn't there
anything that you can do?

They're Elsa's cubs.
Please.

I suppose I could ask
to take my leave now.

But I'm only due six weeks.

You are an absolute darling!

Six weeks! Well, anything
can happen in six weeks.

We've had miracles before.

Well, before we start
counting on miracles,

first we have to find out
where the three
little perishers live.

So, we went looking for
the three little perishers.

But it was like looking
for three very small needles
in a vast haystack.

Watch out.
Could be leopards.

Dangerous beast.
I thought he got me.

I wish there was
some other way back.

Yeah, so do I.

Do you want me
to carry you?
No, thanks.

Well, how about
carrying me?

Idiot!

Jespah!

Gopa!

Little Elsa!

All too quickly,
George's leave was over.

We were miserable
at having to stop
looking for the cubs.

Just in case they ever did
come back,

we left them
a farewell meal

and some of their
favorite drink, cod-liver oil.

I'm sorry, darling.

I know you are.

You've been wonderful.

But I'm not gonna stop
looking for them until
I know they're all right.

I'm coming back
as soon as I can.

I never thought
you wouldn't.

So will I, somehow.

Actually, I was able
to return in a few days

and George came back
as soon as he could,

but we found no trace of them.

East Africa is beautiful,
but it's not a safari park

where attendants look after
and feed the animals.

In the bush,
carnivorous animals kill
and eat other animals

in order to stay alive
themselves.

The cubs would have
to learn to hunt

if they were to survive,

and we hoped that Jespah,

with his innate courage
and ingenuity,

would provide
the necessary leadership.

But if they couldn't
learn to kill for themselves,

they would have to become
scavengers and freeloaders,

like the hyenas
and the vultures...

...and the Marabou Storks.

If they join this motley crew,
they'd have to take their
chances among them as well.

With some animals,
especially young ones
like themselves,

the cubs would maintain
a kind of armed neutrality.

But the cubs had no parents
to protect them,

particularly against
other species, with whom
there would always be

an instinctive hostility
and, indeed, warfare.

But on the whole, George and I
were more worried

about the danger
from human beings.

East Africa is very large
and impossible to keep
under constant watch,

particularly as poaching
has become more sophisticated
in recent years.

But the sad truth was
that for the cubs,

all human beings
were dangerous.

Lady. Lady!

- Lady!
- Where is that silly dog?

Lady!

Lady!

Lady!

Lady!

Here, Lady!
Here, Lady, Lady!

Come on! Here!

Oh, my God!
Herbie! Lions!

Now don't panic, Camille.

Our great hope was that
the cubs would find

and be adopted by a pride.

And in that way,
learn by example

how to hunt and eventually
feed themselves.

But if the cubs were not
accepted by a pride,

then there was great danger
that hunger might drive them
towards villages

and domestic animals.

At this time, George's duties
took him into the area
I was searching.

So while he kept an eye out
for the cubs,

I was able to go into
Nairobi to meet our friend
and publisher, Billy Collins.

Billy had been a friend
of Elsa's, too.

Indeed, the last time
Billy visited us,
he and Elsa had,

in a manner of speaking,
spent the night together.

An experience
Billy never forgot.

But that was
in happier days.

Now as I took Billy to our
camp, we ran into bad luck

in the midst of a large
troupe of baboons.

The trouble with baboons is,

that while they may look
deceptively appealing
from a distance,

they can be
extremely dangerous.

John, thank you.

It was all right, but I was
beginning to wonder
if they'd ever go.

Oh, you remember
Billy Collins, don't you?

Yeah. Nice to
see you again.

Yes, of course.
Welcome back.

John, you're not here
by coincidence, are you?

No. No, I've been
trailing you all the way
from the airport.

I'm afraid
there's trouble.

Not George?

No, the cubs.

A report has come in
that they've been
raiding villages

and killing goats
in the Tana River area,
just outside the reserve.

George is checking
on it now. Sorry.

You see, if it's true,
I'm afraid they'll have
to be destroyed.

But it can't be true.
I don't believe it.

Under the circumstances,
Billy canceled his visit
with us.

And I hurried to George
to learn the truth.

On the way, I had to pass
the same rock

where Elsa and her family
had lived so happily,

and here I had
the most wonderful surprise.

Nuru, would you pass me
the field glasses, please?

What is it?

The cubs.
They found a pride.

Over there,
on Elsa's rock.

Are you sure?

Look!

It's very far, you know.

Maybe you drive closer?

No, no. That might
scatter the pride.

Yes. Yes, I'm sure of it.

It couldn't be a coincidence.
Not on Elsa's rock.

Ah, yes. That's Jespah.
Almost positive.

Well, if those are the cubs,
then they're not the ones

that are raiding those
villages, it would be too far.

Yes, it would be too far.

I hope you're right.

I'm sure of it.

I can't wait
to tell George!

Tell him. Okay.
Tell him I'll pay
for all the goats.

George, it isn't the cubs.

We've seen them with a pride
up on Elsa's rock.

Well, they'd never
get this far, would they?

When did you see them?
Early this morning.
Didn't we, Nuru?

I think so. But we see them
through field glasses.

Yes.

It wasn't Elsa's cubs
that you saw.
I wish it had been.

Jespah, Gopa, and Little Elsa
raided the village next to
this one early this morning.

And I didn't see them
through field glasses.

I saw them close.
They were our cubs.

I'm sorry, darling.

So, what do we do now?

I'll show you.

All these villages here
are the targets.

The cubs pick
whichever one they happen
to fancy at any time.

It spreads out
our scouts pretty thin,
I can tell you.

I don't want
the cubs shot, George.

Neither do I.

I've made a deal
with the elders.

We buy every goat
that's hurt or killed,

and they've agreed
not to shoot or harm
any of the cubs

until we can think
of a way to handle this.

This goat-buying
business has turned out
somewhat expensive.

That doesn't matter.

Now, the real problem is
how to discourage the cubs
from raiding these villages.

That's right. Now, they were
driven off from that village
there this morning.

So there's a pretty good
chance we may see them
here tonight.

I'm afraid it's perfectly
obvious. We're responsible.

But how were we to know...
We introduced the cubs,

to goat meat when
they were very small.

And when they couldn't
join a pride,

when they found difficulty
in hunting other wild animals,

quite naturally, they turned
back to tame goat.

You can't blame them.

No, but...

Well, obviously
it can't go on.

No, it can't.
They'll have to be moved.

Taken away from here
to someplace

where there are no people
or domestic animals nearby.

That's right. But first,
we have to catch them.

And that's not gonna be
easy now, my love.

John.
Hello, John.

Joy, George.

I understand
it is the cubs.

Mmm. We're afraid so.

Mmm-hmm.
So what
happens now?

Well, I've arranged
a warning system that
should keep them away.

That'll be ready
in a day or two.

It will mean keeping
quite a few of the game scouts

in the area for some time,
I'm afraid.

I'm afraid all this sounds
a bit temporary, George.

Of course we realize
this is not
a permanent solution.

No.

Obviously, the cubs
will have to be caught
and moved away from here.

Moved? Where?

Well, somewhere
completely away from

villages, people,
and domestic livestock.

To a reserve.

We had thought
of the Serengeti. It's
a paradise for wildlife.

Yes, it also happens
to be 700 miles away.

How do you
propose to do it?
Hmm?

Well, obviously
the first thing
we have to do is

find where the cubs are
lying up, which has to be
around here somewhere.

And then we'll have to
lure them away. Somehow.

Then after we've
gained their confidence

and fed them regularly,
to keep them
out of temptation's way,

and also to keep them
away from here,

we'll get them
into cages,

again somehow,

and then we'll drive
them to Serengeti.

I see.

And how long do you
think all this will take?

Well, a great deal will
depend upon luck, of course.

Oh, I know what
John means.

Bad luck or good,
it's gonna take
too long a time

for a senior game warden
who's got other things
on his plate as well.

What are you
talking about?

I am right,
aren't I, John?

No. If you can round up
the cubs in a week or so,
there'll be no problem.

We'll be able to ship them
somewhere.

Oh, it's impossible.

It can't be done.
Not in two or three weeks.

It could take months.

I think I have to resign.

Oh, George!

But, George, you've never
said anything about resigning.

You can't. John,
you mustn't let him.

I don't intend to.
I'm not gonna have it, George.

I think it's
the only way.

No, George!

I'm not gonna lose you
for three cubs,
even Elsa's cubs.

I'd rather have them
put down. I mean it.

Now, John, please.
Couldn't we talk about
this tomorrow, hmm?

Yes, by all means.

But it's your life
that I'm thinking about.

You can't do it.
You can't leave
the service.

And I tell you again,
I have to.

There's no telling
how long this'll take.

I can't ask
for anymore leave.

I have got
to resign.

But the service
has been your whole life.

Twenty years
you've given it.

Twenty years.

It's given me
a lot, too.

The best years
of my life.

Then how can you leave it?

Because we have
an obligation
to those cubs of Elsa's.

Now, you said that yourself
when all this started,
and you were right.

So why not give in?

Give us a kiss.

But I know why
you're doing it.

To make me feel
very selfish.

Selfish? Why, you're
a bloody saint, you are.

He'll only be
a moment.

Oh, good.

His drawings of the cages
took longer than we thought.

He's been
up all night.

Yes.

Here they are.

Thank you.
Sorry to keep you,
John.

Good luck.

Uh, John...

I'm really sorry about
leaving the service.
Ah, you know.

Not as sorry
as I am, I'm afraid.

I had plans for you.

Oh, yes, I know.
Another five years,

and I get a gold watch
and a six-course dinner.

No, George,
I'd hoped you'd take
my place when I retired.

What?

Good lord,
I'd no idea. I...

I'm terribly sorry.

I'm a bit slow on the uptake
this morning.

You're a good friend.

Well, I'll do my best
with the Serengeti, of course.

I'll let you know
as quickly as I can.

But I don't know how much
time I can give you here.

I wouldn't count on more
than three months, if that,
either of you.

Of course.
We understand.

Look after yourself,
won't you?

Yep.

And get some sleep.

As soon as I can.

Nuru!
Coming!

Kwa heri, Makedde.

Kwa heri, Nuru.

George did resign.

And Makedde
left the service with him.

All right, Makedde.
Let's get to work.

George set about
strengthening

the thorn barrier
surrounding the villages.

Then he and Makedde
inaugurated an early warning
and defense system.

The idea was
to frighten the cubs
away from the villages

without damage to either
the cattle or the cubs,
if possible.

And the system had its chance
the very next night.

I think our young friends
have had a little surprise.

So far, so good.

Now what?
We wait some more?

Oh, yes.

Now that we know they're
on the prowl tonight,
we do indeed wait some more.

If I know Jespah,
he won't give up
that easily.

Well, it works.

Now, all we've gotta do
is find out where those cubs
are living these days.

Good morning.

This was the great test.

The cubs were older
and wilder now.

Would they remember George?

Would they still at least
have their old passion
for cod-liver oil?

It was essential
that George should get them
to trust him now

at this meeting, for there
might never be another.

As always, it was Jespah
who made the decision.

It's good luck they like
cod-liver oil, eh?

Yes.

Thank God for Jespah.
He remembered.

You know, that cub
could very easily become

my favorite lion.

Well, now we know
where they live.

You get some sleep.
You work all the time.

Makedde, the real work
starts now.

We're gonna have
to feed them every day.

We're gonna have
to move them away
from the villages.

And do you know
when we start?

Yes, I do.

Right now.

George immediately
made a new camp

as near as possible
to the cub's hiding place

and as far as possible from
the villages and their goats.

Then he began to lure the cubs
towards the new camp
for their meals,

in order to ward off
temptation

and evil thoughts
of domestic cattle.

But all this took time,
and so did everything else.

I put George's plans
into work,

only to discover that we had
other problems as well.

You see, I'm awfully
very sorry, Mrs. Adamson,

but, you see, your account
seems to be overdrawn.

Oh. Oh.

Well, I knew it was low,
but I had no idea.

Look, I am expecting
some money soon.

Do you think the manager
would let me have
an overdraft?

I will go and ask him.

Thank you.

Oh, hello, Joy.

John, hello.

Is there
anything wrong?

No, nothing.
I'm just waiting.

Oh, I see.
Well, I have news for you.
Some good, some bad.

I was going to write
this afternoon.

No, please don't.
Tell me now.

Well, the good news
is the Serengeti
will take your cubs.

That's wonderful.
Thank you.
Thank you, John.

And the, uh, bad news?

I'm afraid I can't get you
more than 60 days

to capture them
and to get them out.

Sixty days. I see.

Well, we'll just
have to get Jespah
to cooperate somehow.

Thank you, John.
I know you did your best.

Good morning.
We'll be very happy

to give you an overdraft,
Mrs. Adamson, for
as much as you need.

Thank you.

Thank you
very much indeed.

Not at all.

I do wish
you'd say something.

Anything, John.
I can't stand
your silent disapproval.

Why should I disapprove?

I'm sure everyone in the whole
world is accustomed to people
giving up a job and a career,

spending themselves broke,
using up their life savings
over some lion cubs.

I'm sure
you're right.
About what?

Everything.
You're always right.

If you needed money,
why didn't you come to me?

Because there's a limit,
even to a friendship
like ours.

Besides, you've done
enough for us already,
unless...

You'd like to help me
find a special truck
we're going to need?

Come on.

Finally, the cages
and the specially-built truck
were ready.

But by then, we had
all too little time left.

I was getting desperate,

and I knew that George
must be waiting for my return
with equal anxiety.

I hated to stop,
even for one night,

and agreed to only because
we would have lost our way
in the darkness.

That night,
some of the enemies
we'd made among poachers,

took their chance at revenge.

Are you all right?

Luckily, they'd not tried
to burn our new truck as well,

or perhaps Nuru's shots
had frightened them away
before they were ready.

Dear Nuru. We've always
owed him a great deal.

Hello, Makedde.

You see,
I've got them.

Oh, very good.

Where's bwana George?
He's up there.

I'm more accustomed
to "cheers" actually.

I missed you.

I'm surprised you had time.

How did you manage it?
Tell you later.
How was Nairobi?

I'll tell you later.

You must be exhaust...
You must be...

Exhausted.

They look marvelous.

They sure do.

They eat like pigs.

What's that for?

It's my early warning system
to tell the villagers that
the cubs are out and about.

But I don't think
there'll be any raids tonight.

They've put away
enough food today, I think.

That's the second part
of my system.

So, you won't be
on guard duty tonight?

No, I don't think I will.

Good.

I think so.

Glad you're back.

So am I.

Oh, God,
not tonight!

Damn.

It was probably only
sheer high spirits that
brought the cubs there,

but the consequences
were disastrous.

And, as luck would have it,

it was Jespah who caused
the disaster.

For by entering a hut,
he had made himself an outlaw.

Luckily, the little boy
who shot Jespah

was too young to be allowed
poison for his arrows,

for, otherwise,
Jespah would have been
dead in minutes.

But the arrowhead
remained in his side

and the wound was open.

The very next day we started
setting up the combined traps

and cages
George had designed

because, ironically,
to guarantee the cubs
their freedom,

we had to make them
prisoners first.

Obviously, if we could've
used tranquilizers,

it all would've been
relatively simple,

but in our opinion,
the chances of a fatal
overdose were too great.

So we had to do it
another way,

and as it turned out,
the hard way.

We had three cages,

and there could only be
one cub in each cage

because we knew that
fear and frustration
in close confinement

would make them fight
and hurt each other.

Additionally, we had
to capture all
three cubs simultaneously

because the ones
that were not trapped
would, of course,

never come near
the cages again.

And we had to keep
the cage doors

from breaking bones
when they came banging down.

George devised a way
of operating the traps

from two different positions.

Ready?

And finally,
it was all done,

and we could only
keep our fingers crossed

and hope for the best.

But that same day,
we received the worst news
of our lives from Nairobi.

And John Kendall's letter
told us that we had

only 60 days to get the cubs
out of the area.

With no time to be lost,
we set to work immediately,

luring the cubs
towards the cages.

Whoa! Take it easy!

I think something
will have to be done
about Jespah.

At last,
we got them there.

And to our joy,
they approached the cages
with no sign of fear.

That very first day,
we thought we were
going to have

the most astounding
stroke of luck.

And then we knew that
it would not be as easy
as all that.

Oh, well.

There's always tomorrow.

And tomorrow
and tomorrow,

until only two weeks remained,

while the cubs did everything
possible to fray our nerves.

Get inside,
Little Elsa, please.

Go on, Jespah, get in.

To make it all worse,
it was now clear

that the arrowhead
had not worked itself
out of Jespah's body,

but was still
embedded in his side

and that his wound was,
in fact, festering.

You know something?
Even if it doesn't work,

it was a brilliant idea.

Thank you.

You're very talented.
You could've gone far.

I am devoid
of ambition.

Yes.

Yes, I know.

That's why
I love you.

Go on, Jespah.
Stop messing about.

Go in.

Go in.

Oh, no.

Oh, blast!

Well, we'll try again
tomorrow.

We're running out
of tomorrows.

It's all right. They'll be
holed up somewhere.

They'll be back
when they're hungry.

It's Jespah's wound
I'm worried about.

We've got to do something
about that arrowhead.

Elsa died of infection,
remember?

Yes, I remember.

But it didn't seem to be
troubling him too much
the last time we saw him,

though it should
come out, of course.

Come on.

Cheer up.

The sun'll be out
tomorrow, I promise you.

George was wrong.

High in the mountains,
the heavy rains were
culminating in a flash flood.

It came at dawn.

Joy, wake up!
My God!
What's happened?

God! Those cages.

If they've been
damaged by the flood,
we've had it.

It was too much.

It was just too much.

Now it seemed
that everything
had fallen apart on us,

and we were
down to our last week.

As for the cubs, they never
came back after the night
the cage doors jammed.

I'm afraid I've had it.

Come on.
I'll take you back.

I'll take myself back,
thank you.

I'm sorry, darling.
It's just that

I've never been so
depressed in all my life.

We've three days left.

We've got three days
and eight hours.

Come on.

I think I'll watch just
a little while longer.

You've done it!
You've done it!

You've done it!

Oh, I'm not prejudiced,

but you are absolutely
wonderful!

Wonderful!

It's easy
when you know how.

As quickly
as possible,

we set out on our 700-mile
trek to the Serengeti.

It was a difficult trip.

It must have been even more
difficult for the lions.

Welcome to the Serengeti.

Thank God.

He's lost his brakes.

We've got to get ahead
and stop them.

He's trying to pass.

Here we go.

Hold tight!

Welcome

to the Serengeti.

Welcome to the Serengeti.

Thank you.
My name's Weaver,

and may I congratulate
and thank you for
a good job.

What I mean is,
you've made me richer
by ?12.

There were,
among my colleagues,

certain skeptics who
thought you'd never make it.

We're happy to have
disappointed them.

Good. Now let's see
those famous cubs of yours.

You can release them
anywhere around here.

There's no end
of game and water.

Mmm. It's a paradise.

Well, they look
in pretty good shape,
everything considered.

We hope to have them
in much better shape

by the time we leave.

By the time you leave?

I'm sorry, but you can't stay, you know.

But we can't leave them
until they're able
to fend for themselves.

We can't allow you
to hunt for them here.

They're gonna have
to learn their trade
like any other cubs.

But other cubs have
a mother to teach them.

I'm sorry.

You mean you really
want us to leave?

Yes. Now, I promise you,
we'll keep an eye on 'em.

But if they're ever gonna
join up with a wild pride,

this is where
it's gonna happen, okay?

It was not the way
we'd planned it

or what we'd hoped for,

and we were desperately
worried about Jespah,

but there was nothing
that we could do about it.

And so we drove them
to an area that reminded us

of where Elsa and her cubs
had lived happily

many long months before.

It had been
a lengthy journey,

and the cubs, after
being caged for so long,

were afraid to venture
out of their prisons.

Thank you, Makedde.

Oh, come on, Jespah.
You know you love it.

Goodbye, Jespah.

Goodbye, Gopa.

Little Elsa.

Will we ever see them
again, do you think?

They'll be all right.

At least
they're free.

Yes, they were free.

They would still have
their problems to face

and dangers to meet,

but they were free.

Living free.

Living free

Living free

Free to wander

Or to linger

Where you want to be

We were born to be free

Living free

Free to be

Loving, caring

Giving, sharing

That's how it can be

What a joy to be free

Freedom is a happy thing

It's a bell we ring,
a song we sing

Freedom is a lamp we light

In the dark of night

We've got the right to be

Living free

Really free

Come tomorrow

Yes, tomorrow

We will all be free

That's the way it will be

Living free