ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A super tusker is an elephant whose tusks are over nine feet long and weigh over 100 pounds each. An elephant named Craig could be considered the ambassador for super tuskers. A giant among giants, he passed away on Jan. 3 in Kenya.
A calm personality who was very tolerant of photographers — and quite possibly the current most photographed elephant in the world — he lived to be 54 years old.
When you hear about the death of an elephant, it is easy to assume that poachers were involved. That isn’t the case with Craig. Any death is sad, but in Craig’s case there is a win; he died from natural causes.
That’s due in part to conservation efforts by groups like Big Life Foundation. The organization protects over 1.5 million acres in east Africa and the animals that live there. It’s also possible that Craig was protected by his celebrity.
Alaskan wildlife photographer, Brian Montalbo, leads photographic expeditions to Africa through his travel business, Beyond Adventure Travel. Craig was a popular part of his expeditions.
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