Rare ‘giant tusker’ elephant killed by poachers

Photo from Tsavo Trust website

Another majestic beast has become a victim of poaching, as a rare 50-year-old “giant tusker” elephant was found dead inside a Kenyan national park on Wednesday.

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According to The Telegraph, Satao II, named after another “giant tusker” also killed in 2014, was hit with a poisoned arrow by two suspected poachers.

The men, who were reportedly after the prized elephant’s long and magnificent tusks, got arrested by officials before they could secure them.

“Tuskers,” or African elephants with large tusks that almost hit the ground, have become a rarity in the wild today. After Satao II’s death, only 25 are believed to be left around the world, the report said.

Meanwhile, wildlife and nature conservation group Tsavo Trust condemned the killing, but claimed that his death was crucial toward eradicating the country’s illegal ivory trade.

“Although this is a very sad loss in every way, we can take some positive from this in that Satao 2’s carcass was indeed found with the ivory intact and recovered before it could fall into the wrong hands and further fuel the illegal ivory market,“ the group said in a statement.

“But also more importantly, this poaching gang that possibly tried to poach Satao 2 has been broken for ever.”

Out of the 25 remaining “giant tuskers” in the world, 15 are currently residing in Kenyan national parks.

Despite strict measures imposed by the government and wildlife conservationists, the place has become a “poaching hotspot” with poisoned arrows often being used to fell the giant animals.  Khristian Ibarrola /ra/rga

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