Rambo

Rambo and Rachel were the only two baby elephant survivors of a herd of elephants that were part of a culling program in 1980s (in which a whole herd was killed).The very person who was ordered to kill them just couldn’t face shooting these beautiful innocent elephants and decided to find a place, where they could continue to live.They now have 220 square kilometres of bushland in KwaZulu Natal to roam around.

Rambo and Rachel created an incredible bond with two keepers, who now serve as part of their herd – and the two keepers are probably the only reason why they survived the trauma of losing their entire elephant family. Rambo and Rachel had a child in 2010, Jabulani, who is growing up to be an equally gentle elephant.

While Elephant Gin is not supporting the act of domesticating wild animals – anywhere in the world – Rambo, Rachel and Jabulani live incredibly free lives with the only difference that they seek human interaction as they are accepted as part of their herd. We count ourselves very lucky to have been able to meet these three elephants – gentle, calm and majestic.

Photo copyright: Tessa Gerlach