This week’s film will be The Lion Tree, filmed & produced by Ralph Strutchberry. The film addresses the first subject of the magnificence of the king of the jungle in its native habitat, the lion and lioness, and then the issues of conservation, preservation and protection of the species which is threatened, as are most animals in the wild, by over-population of the human species as well as unbridled human aggression and violence beyond natural balance.
To discuss the film is Adam Roberts, President of the Born Free Foundation and Christopher Gervais, Founder & President of the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival.
Adam was named CEO of Born Free USA and the Born Free Foundation in 2014. Prior, he was Executive Vice President of Born Free USA, a role he held since helping launch the organization in 2002 to bring the UK-based Born Free Foundation’s message of compassionate conservation to the American public.
Adam has significant expertise and over two decades of experience in international wildlife trade and captive wild animals, and serves on the board of directors of the Species Survival Network (www.ssn.org) where he chairs their press and financial committees, the bear working group, and the animals in captivity working group. SSN is dedicated to ensuring that the international wildlife trade does not cause overexploitation of animals and plants. SNN currently includes 82 member organizations from 33 countries.
He is also a founding member of the board and current chairman of the board of Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing species-specific humane standards of care for animals held in wildlife and farm animal sanctuaries, and accrediting facilities globally based on these standards.
In 2003, Adam founded The $10 Club, a charity to fund poverty alleviation projects in developing countries. He runs the organization single-handedly, and as a volunteer. To date, the organization has supported work in more than 50 countries and has given out a quarter of a million dollars in grant awards. He began his animal protection career in Washington, DC in 1991.
Adam has written over 50 articles for various medical, legal, scientific, and advocacy organization publications around the world. He is a frequent lecturer/speaker at national and international conferences on issues concerning captive wild animals, compassionate conservation and the protection of all animals.
He is interviewed regularly by the media about animal welfare and wildlife conservation issues. Among recent interviews: CNN, HLN, Associated Press, Bloomberg News, Reuters, New York Daily News, NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, and more.
Christopher J. Gervais is the Founder & CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (WCFF), he is an environmental scientist and has graduate studies in marine biology and vertebrate paleontology. He worked as a field researcher, laboratory scientist and teacher at multiple natural history museums to put himself through his college years. Christopher’s first job out of college was a biology teacher and later as an administrator, at the time he was the youngest Principal for a public school in the state of Florida.
Christopher was one of the first scientists to conduct underwater vertebrate paleontology research. He is a professional, advanced scuba diver with over 2,500 logged dives. He is President of the International Exploration Society (IES), Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, member of the Ocean Geographic Society, friend of American Philosophical Society and a Board Member of the Pet Philanthropy Circle.
Christopher is a frequent guest on Headline News (HLN) for Jane Velez Mitchell to discuss Animal Rights Issues. Christopher has been a guest on A Better World Radio and Progressive Film Hour with Mitchell Rabin several times as a major advocate of wildlife conservation.