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Spokesperson Bios

Will Travers is the Chief Executive of Born Free USA. Will has dedicated most of his life to wildlife issues since living as a child in Kenya while his parents, actors Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, made the classic wildlife film Born Free (1966). In 1984, he co-founded UK-based wildlife charity, The Born Free Foundation, where he is also Chief Executive.

Will is a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, a founder member of the Captive Wild Animals Protection Coalition, and a member of the IUCN (World Conservation Union) Species Survival Commission Reintroduction Specialist Group.

Since 1996, Will has been President of the Species Survival Network international coalition of organizations committed to the promotion, enhancement, and strict enforcement of the United Nations' Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Through scientific and legal research, education, and advocacy, the SSN is working to prevent over-exploitation of animals and plants due to international trade. Will has also helped Born Free develop a unique community conservation initiative called Global Friends which seeks to deliver benefits to communities in developing countries that live alongside wild animal populations and share their habitat and eco-system resources.

Nicole G. Paquette, Esq. is Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Born Free USA and is based in Sacramento, CA. Nicole is a nationally recognized expert on captive wild animal issues and has assisted countless states and cities with introducing and passing laws relating to the private possession of dangerous wild animals and animals in entertainment. Nicole also focuses on captive elephants, trapping, wildlife conflicts, and roadside zoos, and oversees organizational litigation efforts and regularly consults on state and national legislation. She is a founder and board member of the California Animal Association and the co-chair of the state appointed California Advisory Committee on the Treatment of Exotic Animals. Nicole is a graduate of Vermont Law School, a member of the California, District of Columbia, and Massachusetts Bars, and a regular presenter at law conferences and forums across the U.S.

Adam M. Roberts is Senior Vice President of Born Free USA and is based in Washington, D.C. He helped found 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 in international wildlife trade and captive wild animals and serves on the Board of Directors of the Species Survival Network where he chairs the SSN Press Committee, Financial Committee, Bear Working Group, and Animals in Captivity Working Group. Adam is also a Member of the Board of Humane USA, and in 2003, he founded The $10 Club, a charity to fund poverty alleviation projects in developing countries. He runs the organization singlehandedly, and as a volunteer. To date, the organization has supported work in nearly 50 countries. Adam is a graduate of Vassar College.

Zibby Wilder is the Director of Public Relations for Born Free USA. Zibby has more than 15 years experience in communications and has worked with a wide variety of businesses, including Lego, General Mills, the Discovery Channel, and Microsoft, as well as leading non-profits, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Progressive Animal Welfare Society. Zibby has been active in animal issues for more than 20 years, studying animal behavior, volunteering, and serving as senior staff at various direct-care animal organizations. Zibby serves on the Board of Directors of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, where she chairs the Marketing and Communications Committee. Zibby is a graduate of Boston University, where she studied psychology and public relations.

Barry Kent MacKay is Born Free USA's Canadian Representative, and has been associated with API for nearly three decades. Barry wrote a weekly nature column for The Toronto Star for 25 years, and has authored numerous articles, essays, reviews ,and three books, all dealing with nature or wildlife, especially birds. Barry is a founding director of Zoocheck-Canada, Animal Alliance of Canada, and Species Survival Network, and recently helped start a federal political party in Canada, dedicated to protecting animals and the environment. He has won several awards for his work as a writer and conservationist and his wildlife studies have taken him to Europe, Asia, Africa, South and Central America, and throughout much of North America.

Nedim C. Buyukmihci is a veterinarian and co-director of the API Primate Sanctuary, providing veterinary care and general management of the Sanctuary. Dr. Buyukmihci has worked in areas of rights for nonhuman animals and veterinary ethics for more than two decades. Dr. Buyukmihci is internationally recognized for his expertise and is co-founder of the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR) and Animal Place, a California sanctuary for farmed animals. He is also emeritus professor of veterinary medicine at the University of California-Davis, where he taught ophthalmology and veterinary ethics. Dr. Buyukmihci has long advocated and facilitated methods of teaching that do not require the purposeful harm or death of nonhuman animals and has spoken internationally as an expert on these various issues.