A special edition of JabuGin has arrived at our lodge boutique!

We’re very excited about this new venture for a few reasons… For one, our JabuGin is infused with the dung of the Jabulani herd of elephants… a unique ingredient that you may either be very curious to try or perhaps need some tempting to even sniff.

The dung is collected, cleaned and dried and added to the creation of our gin, adding all kinds of natural plant ingredients foraged by the Jabulani herd while out on their walks in the wilderness each day. The herd are happy and healthy (the proof is in their poop) and their contribution to our new gins infuses the mix with distinctive South African botanicals and tastes that the elephants have discerningly selected for us.

Our JabuGin is specially made with the dung of the Jabulani elephant herd by the fabulous creators, Indlovu Gin, the original dung gin makers! The team behind Indlovu say: “We are delighted to have been able to create JabuGin for Jabulani using our original Indlovu gin elephant dung concept. JabuGin and Indlovu both help raise vital funds for HERD Elephant Orphanage through a percentage of sales.”

Another reason we’re excited is that, simply put, we love Gin! And Tonics! Gin & Tonics! The cool smooth taste of our evening cocktail during a safari sundowner by the dam, with the elephants, zebra and buffalo, the scent of the bush and cooing doves and lions roaring through the setting sun…We’re especially excited to be toasting to happy safari days with our very own brand of this favourite tipple.

Our safari lodge was created as a way to support and care for a herd of rescued elephants from Zimbabwe and an orphan calf named Jabulani who needed a new herd of his own. With Jabulani owner, Adine’s experience and knowledge in conservation, and an incredible and dedicated elephant care team, the herd has gone from strength to strength, spending much of their day walking out in the wilderness of the Kapama Private Game Reserve where Jabulani is located, and sleeping at night in the Jabulani elephant stables for safety and protection as a rescued herd living in Big 5 territory.

Over the 20 years of supporting the herd through tourism at the lodge, our carers and Elephant Managers work with vets and wildlife experts to monitor the well-being and health of the elephants through different means – one being by inspecting the animals’ poop!

A lot can be learnt by studying elephants’ dung, including insight into their stress levels.

With the growing amount of elephant orphans due to increased poaching and man and elephant conflict, Adine established HERD (Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation & Development), an elephant orphanage next door to Jabulani so to take in and care for displaced or abandoned elephant babies and take them through the rehabilitation phase with the support of adult and sub adult elephants close-by. The  goal of the orphanage is to integrate the orphans into the Jabulani herd so that they can once again have a family of their own. This has proven successful many times before as the Jabulani herd have welcomed and accepted orphans as one of their own.

Dung plays a very important part in the care of elephant calves.

Naturally, elephants, especially babies, eat the dung of other elephants in their herd to acquire essential bacteria that helps with immunity and digestion. The Jabulani elephants’ dung has gone a long way in helping little albino elephant, Khanyisa who is currently in the care of HERD and being integrated into her new family.

Perhaps you’d like a taste too…