Edo

Edo was born into the family of the Emily, sister of the infamous Echo – the elephant star of many books and films. At only six months of age, Edo’s mother tragically died as a result of foraging in the rubbish pit of a nearby Safari Lodge. Amongst left-over fruit and vegetables, she ate bottle-tops, broken glass, torch cells and even an ash-tray; all of which lead to her death.

When his mother passed away leaving him not only devastated, but also hungry, Edo walked around numerous swamps of Amboseli Park looking for water and vegetations. He was crying for he was missing his mother and could not keep up with the pace of her family. Needless to say, Edo became weaker and weaker.

Usually, conservationists will not interfere with nature and leave animals to die, but because Edo’s situation was caused by human actions and their rubbish in the first place, they felt a strong need to help out.  Together they managed to locate Edo, lift him into a small vehicle and transport him to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust – an elephant orphanage near Nairobi.

By the time the team arrived, Edo was too weak to even stand and seemed without much will to live. It was only when he was surrounded by fellow young orphans, that he drank six pints of milk and even slowly accompanied them to their noon mud-bath. After his rehabilitation in the nursery, Edo successfully re-integrated into Tsavo East population and has become a highly established handsome young bull.

Elephant Gin are proud foster parents of Edo, and its name adorns our special Italian batch for Michelin-star restaurant Marelet.

Photo and information courtesy: David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust