Dumbo

 

I always call it Dumbo; the big ears and the chubby, comic-like posture remind me of the cartoon character from the Disney film of the same name.

But, in fact, this baby pachyderm doesn’t have an official name, though the people of Edinburgh generally refer to it as the ‘Mortonhall Baby Elephant’ or the ‘Baby Elephant Memorial.

And it’s a Big Baby: all 2.5 tonnes of Brass were fashioned by Sculptor, Andy Scott – probably best renowned for The Kelpies in Helix Park. It’s beautifully embossed with depictions of ‘Forget-me-Not’ flowers and by even tinier little footprints.

Unveiled in Princes Street Gardens in 2019, it’s a poignant and very fitting memorial to the Children affected by the Mortonhall baby ashes scandal where, over the course of decades, the cremated remains of little babies were buried without their family’s knowledge.

The inscription reads: “In memory of our precious babies, gone but never forgotten.”

And the symbolism of sculpting a baby elephant? Well, as the saying goes - ‘elephants never forget’.