The world is mourning an icon. Tim, one of the last surviving
super tusker elephants in Africa has died in Amboseli National Park.
While
many elephants in the country die prematurely due to poaching, the
Majestic Tim, one of Africa’s last big tusker elephants and an African
Elephant ambassador died early Tuesday aged 50 years in Mada area of
Amboseli National Park, Kenya Wildlife Service officials said.
70 YEARS
He
died of natural causes. Elephants can live up to 70 years. KWS said
park management visited the scene of death and has secured the body
which has been transferred to the National Museums, in Nairobi.
“The
body will be preserved through a taxidermy for education and exhibition
purposes,” said KWS Communication Officer, Paul Udoto.
Famous
for his rare majestic tusks, Tim was a very popular sighting for
tourists who visited Amboseli National Park. He was considered an
ambassador for his species and even has a life-size poster of him.
Tributes to the elephant poured in social media from all over the world.
Tourists from far and wide who had met Tim at the Amboseli Park were
not left behind.
GIGANTIC ELEPHANT
Mr
Udoto described the gigantic elephant as “an unassuming matriarch that
was always unusually welcomed by females and their families.”
“He
was benevolent slow-moving preserver of peace at the Amboseli and was
well known and loved throughout Kenya (and the world),” added Mr Udoto.
Because of its fame, many travelled from far and wide just to photograph him.
Its
fame, according to conservationists, catalysed many conservation
collaborations between Kenya Wildlife Service and Conservations KWS and
conservation organisations.
Tim at Amboseli National Park. PHOTO | COURTESY
Tim was a darling to many tourists because of his
laid back nature and the fact that he always seemed to have a herd
around him.
Ms Sharlene Cohen, a tourist who had the privilege of meeting Tim at the park, mourned the giant on Facebook
“Tim was one of the largest and oldest majestic elephants in this region,” she wrote.
TRIBUTE
Kenyans
and wildlife lovers on Wednesday took to social media to pay their
tribute to the animal that made their safari enjoyable.
“He
was a wonderful elephant, and an ambassador for his species. We will
miss him but we also hope that his legend lives on and he continues to
inspire people to protect elephants. He has fathered many calves too,
and we are happy he got to live a long life in the wild,” a wildlife
enthusiast said on Twitter.
CEO Wildlife Direct Paula Kahumbu who has known Tim for over a decade described him as “the magnificent bull of the Amboseli”.
Dr
Kahumbu said Tim was one of the last remaining great tuskers in Kenya, a
term used to describe African male elephants with long tusks.
“The
great tuskers are an irreplaceable symbol of our continent’s unique
natural heritage. But their magnificent tusks act like a magnet for
poachers (and in some countries still for trophy hunters) and means that
these elephants are constantly at risk,” said Dr Kahumbu
“When
we first met Tim he had a very severe wound on the back and was
limping. He had been speared by some locals. And even then he was very
friendly,” she said.
POACHING
She
added that when Tim was well and on his feet again, the board at
Wildlife Direct decided to protect him and use him to protect other
super tuskers of the Amboseli.
Fear of poaching forced KWS and conservationists to collar the animal in 2016.
The
collaring of Tim in 2016 by a group of conservationist groups including
Save the Elephants, Big Life, Amboseli Trust for Elephants, KWS and the
community has played an instrumental role in saving the rest of his
herd at the park from poachers as the rangers always knew his
whereabouts and those accompanying him.
Tim attended to by rangers at Amboseli National Park. PHOTO | COURTESY
But Tim was equally mischievous. “Tim surprised
everyone, he was a crop raider but he was also
gentle, calm and intelligent. His size was breathtaking, and he seemed to know it. But he was also very friendly with people,” she said.
gentle, calm and intelligent. His size was breathtaking, and he seemed to know it. But he was also very friendly with people,” she said.
“The
radio collar tracking him alerted rangers every time he and his herd
went near farms. And it worked exceptionally well. Too well, Tim lost
weight because he couldn't raid farms. But within two years he somehow
got rid of his collar. Without it, he and his gang could return to his
nocturnal raids on nearby farms,” said Dr Kahumbu.
“The rangers would then go and drive them away from the direction of the farms to keep them out of trouble,” he added.
PROTECTION
KWS and Big Life Foundation Rangers provided the matriarch 24 hour surveillance and protection.
In
2018, the animal nearly died at the park when it got stuck on a deep
mud for several hours before the rangers came to its rescue.
She
added: “As a huge male, Tim secured many mating [sessions] with the
females and so we are certain that he's a baby daddy to many little ones
in Amboseli. The gene for super-tusker has been passed on many times.
“I
would be lying if I said I wasn't heartbroken that Tim is no more. But
I'm also proud that he died of natural causes, that our work did create
awareness of this giant in Kenya and around the world.
I'm
sad we never got to host the Elephant Naming ceremony with President
Uhuru Kenyatta - an event that we hoped would give our elephants Kenyan
names and create much more awareness about our pride and heritage. I'm
sad that we were unable to persuade others that we should be celebrating
and naming our elephants as a nation,” he added.
SCIENTIFIC STUDY
The
giant tusker was named ‘Tim’ by Cynthia Moss, founder of the Amboseli
Trust for Elephants, as part of what has become the world’s longest
running scientific study of the species.
The elephants name indicates that he is a member of the “T family”.
Since
its birth in December in 1969 by an elephant cow named Trista, Tim has
been closely monitored by the Amboseli Trust for Elephants.
His grandmother Teresia, was the matriarch and leader of Amboseli’s TD family.
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