Ageing elephant with giant tusks each weighing 100lb covers itself with dust to cool off
AN ageing elephant with giant tusks each weighing 100lb covers itself with dust to cool off — but constantly feels the heat.
The 50-year-old beast, named Craig, is protected from poachers and hunters 24 hours a day by a band of Masai warriors.
The African Savanna elephant is thought to be one of only 20 “super-tuskers” alive today.
Pro photographer Clint Ralph, 59, took the snaps at Amboseli National Park, Kenya, where Craig roams freely in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro.
He said: “I travelled here specifically to photograph Craig in his twilight years.
“It was emotional to be so close to such a legend in our time.”
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Two years ago, Craig’s friend and fellow super-tusker Tim died of natural causes at Amboseli.
His body was preserved for education purposes — and to stop poachers from selling his huge tusks on the black market.
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The heaviest tusks on record were from a bull shot in Kenya in 1897.
The 465lb pair are on display at London’s Natural History Museum.
