I am re-posting this news article here, because I think Virginia McKenna deserves exceptional praise for her dedication and accomplishment - what patience and persistence! We need more people like her... 
Free at last: Actress Virginia McKenna wins 15-year battle to rescue leopards
Daily Mail.co.uk
By Jonathan Petre and Paula Kerr, In Cyprus
Last updated at 1:26 AM on 31st May 2009
Actress and animal welfare campaigner Virginia McKenna has won a 15-year battle to stop three leopards being kept in cramped cages in a Cyprus zoo.
McKenna, famous for her starring role in the 1966 film Born Free, was yesterday in Limassol to oversee the transfer of the cats to a spacious rescue centre in South Africa.
The three leopards currently live in a 30ft by 15ft pen, but until recently they were kept in a cage half that size.
BORN FREE: Actress Virginia McKenna's wildlife charity has won a 15 year battle to have three leopards released from a Cyprus zoo
As she watched Leda, Roxanne and Rhea being prepared for their lengthy flight, 77-year-old McKenna said she was ‘overjoyed’ that the animals were being rescued.
The leopards should arrive tomorrow at their new home, Shamwari Game Reserve, which is near Port Elizabeth in South Africa.
The decision is a major achievement for the Born Free Foundation, the animal charity McKenna founded 25 years ago with her late husband – and Born Free co-star – Bill Travers.
The Foundation began lobbying the Cypriot authorities for the closure of the zoo in the 1990s after being bombarded with complaints by outraged visitors about its crowded conditions.
Three leopards from Limassol Zoo, Cyprus, will be released into the wild in South Africa
The success is the latest of several for the charity including enlisting the help of Prince Albert II of Monaco to free two leopards from Monaco zoo last year
A few months ago, Limassol’s new mayor Andreas Christou finally admitted the zoo was too small for large animals such as the three leopards.
McKenna said that Travers, who died 15 years ago aged 72, would have been ‘absolutely thrilled’ by the rescue. She added: ‘Getting these cats out and persuading Limassol Zoo to change has been a long battle.
‘It is totally unacceptable that any animal should live in a way that causes it physical or mental distress. I won’t stop campaigning until the zoo has closed completely.’
In Born Free, McKenna played Joy Adamson, a game warden who had an extraordinary relationship with an orphan lioness, Elsa, which she returns to the wild.
Donations to help the leopards can be made to Born Free by calling the hotline number 0870 777 4321, or by visiting www.bornfree.org.uk.
Article and photos at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1189812/Free-Actress-wins-15-year-battle-rescue-leopards.html
