Born Free lion sculptures unveiled on Bristol Downs

Elsa the lioness featured in the 1966 film Born Free

Twenty five life-sized bronze lions have been unveiled at an outdoor exhibit as part of a charity campaign.

The Born Free charity, named after the 1966 film, installed the sculptures on The Downs in Bristol.

The charity said it hoped to highlight the threats facing big cats both in captivity and in the wild.

Any money raised from the exhibition will go towards the Forever Lions Fund set up in memory of Born Free's founder Bill Travers.

The exhibit also features a centrepiece of Elsa the lioness standing on top of a vehicle, as she is depicted in the film Born Free.

Virginia Mckenna (centre) founded the charity alongside Will Travers (left) and his father Bill Travers (right)

Charity co-founder Virginia McKenna said each lion had its "own unique and powerful story".

"Through those individual stories, visitors will learn so much about lions that they could never learn through watching them in captivity," she said.

According to the charity, in the 1960s there were about 200,000 lions in the wild.

There are now only 20,000 remaining.

Born Free patron and actor Dan Richardson said the bronzes are a reminder of a "precious species" under threat and of the lives "we must work together to protect".

"The dramatic decline in wild lion populations over the last century is mind-boggling and heart-breaking in equal measure," he said.

"Decisive, positive action is imperative right now."

The free outdoor exhibition is set to end on 1 October.