Jumbo's boots - made by Lotus Ltd - Northampton

"This canvas and leather lace boot was made for Jumbo the elephant. It was one of four made for the eleven year old female elephant to wear when she took part in the British Alpine Hannibal Expedition in 1959.

The expedition tried to re-trace the route used to invade Italy by Hannibal in 218BC. The boots were made by Lotus Ltd in Northampton and this one was presented to the company by the leader of the expedition John Hoyte on their return. The other boots are at Rome University, in Cambridge and in America. Unfortunately Jumbo was unable to finish the last eight kilometers of the expedition as the track was considered unsafe."(source: bbc.co.uk)