Jan 3, 2026, 12:24 p.mJan 3, 2026, 12:24 p.m
One of Africa’s most famous elephants is dead. The bull elephant Craig, known for his large tusks, died in Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya at the age of around 54, according to the Kenyan park authority Kenya Wildlife Service.
Craig was well known.Image: www.imago-images.de
“Early this morning, Amboseli National Park, Kenya – and indeed the world – lost a true icon,” the park authority said. Craig died of natural causes due to his old age and long life in the wild.
45 kilo tusks – one of the last of its kind
Craig was one of the few remaining bull elephants with exceptionally long and heavy tusks, each weighing more than 45 kilograms. These animals are known as “super tuskers” and are only found in very small numbers in Africa. Craig was born in 1972 and came from the CB elephant family, which has been researched for decades. Its tusks reached almost to the ground and were visible from long distances in the savannahs and wetlands of the national park.
Rangers and safari guides described Craig as unusually calm for a dominant bull. According to the park authority, Craig “seemed to understand his place in the world.” He often stopped and stood still while tourists took photos of him. It was said that the elephant had become a symbol of successful conservation work.
The fact that Craig survived for so long is considered a victory over the poachers
Craig fathered several calves, helping to pass on rare genetic traits, including the predisposition to particularly large tusks. This trait has become rare as a result of decades of poaching. Despite protective measures, these elephants are considered critically endangered. There are only a few specimens left in East Africa. The park authority said its long survival was thanks to consistent protection from poachers by the park authority and the local community.
Craig also became known in Kenya and beyond through a campaign by a Kenyan beverage manufacturer, which symbolically adopted the elephant in 2021 to draw attention to the protection of elephants. (sda/dpa)