The last of his kind Famous elephant bull Craig dies at the age of 54
Craig's tusks were visible over long distances in the savannahs and wetlands. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Craig sired several calves, helping to pass on rare genetic traits.
Image: dpa
Craig's tusks were visible over long distances in the savannahs and wetlands. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Craig sired several calves, helping to pass on rare genetic traits.
Image: dpa
His tusks, which almost reached the ground, made Craig an icon. Now the bull elephant has died at the age of over 50.
03.01.2026, 21:22
dpa
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The bull elephant Craig died in Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya at the age of around 54.
- His tusks, which reached almost to the ground, made Craig a celebrity.
- "Early this morning, Amboseli National Park, Kenya - and indeed the world - lost a true icon," the park authority said.
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 about 54, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service, the Kenyan park authority.
"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 advanced age and long life in the wild.
45 kilo tusks - one of the last of his kind
Craig was one of the few elephant bulls still alive 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. His tusks reached almost to the ground and were visible over 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 photographed him. The elephant had become a symbol of successful conservation work, it said.
The fact that Craig survived for so long is considered a victory over the poachers
Craig sired several calves and thus contributed to the passing on of rare genetic traits, including the predisposition to particularly large tusks. This trait has become rare as a result of decades of poaching. Despite conservation measures, these elephants are considered highly endangered. There are only a few left in East Africa. Its long survival is due to the consistent protection from poachers by the park authority and the local community, explained the park authority.
Craig also became known in Kenya and beyond through a campaign by a Kenyan beverage company, which symbolically adopted the elephant in 2021 to draw attention to the protection of elephants.
