Beloved Big Tim the elephant, one of Africa’s last giant “tuskers”, passed this week of natural causes at the age of 50.
Kenya Wildlife Service has said that he was “a benevolent, slow-moving preserver of the peace at Amboseli National Park, well known and loved throughout Kenya.”
An elephant is technically a “tusker” when its ivory tusks are so long that they scrape the ground. Conservationists estimate only a few dozen such animals with tusks that size are now left on the continent.
Poachers target the animals with the biggest ivory, and elephants with the heaviest tusks are most at risk. As was Big Tim who survived his experience with poachers, angry farmers, once even being treated for a spear wound.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), poaching has seen the population of African elephants plunge by 110,000 over the past decade to just 415,000.
“Our hearts are broken,” said Wildlife Direct, a Nairobi-based conservation campaign group.
“Tim was one of Africa’s very few Super Tuskers, and an incredible elephant whose presence awed and inspired many. He was one of Kenya’s National Treasures.”
With poaching a dastardly increasing crime, as sad as it is to hear of Tim’s passing, I feel huge relief that Tim lived a long and natural life in his natural habitat where he belonged.
Source : msn
Image credit : getty images
So sad
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Yes… He was a strong survivor.
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What a beautiful animal! So powerful and majestic. What can be done to stop or reduce poaching? Any NGO´s one can support or so? People hurting animals has honestly been upsetting me so much ever since I was a child… the beautiful animals are just doing their thing, why can´t people leave them in peace! Grr. Much love my friend xoxo
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Indeed!
We do have systems in place to combat poaching.
However, it is never enough. There are always those motivated for nefarious reasons.
Sometime ago, I wrote about our beloved rhino, please read about it here
https://sunshinysasite.wordpress.com/2019/04/23/sa-justice-for-the-rhino/
I send hugs and loves always 🙂
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Good to hear about the systems in place… guess you are right about those with lower motivations… Thanks for the link, I will check it out:) Hugs n love xox
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So very sad!!!!! Thankful that he died of natural causes and not the result of trauma and violence. Blessings! 💙
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I so agree…sorry to see him go, but so happy he got to live his life and triumph over those who tried to take it from him!
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At some times governments get it Near Right. The only answer to the protection is the lack of trying to change the mind of the poacher. Big Tim is the survivor of the Century. We must not let his memory go by the wayside.
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