The oldest female big tusker in Africa has died of old age at her home in Tsavo National Park in Kenya. She was estimated to be 60 to 65 years old.
Matriarch
Dida lived longer than the Tsavo Trust thought she would. She was a true matriarch to her herd and an inspiration to documentary makers and tourists alike.
Wisdom and guidance
Members of her herd particularly benefitted from her wisdom. During her long lifetime she was able to pass her knowledge down to new generations.
Rare
The Big Tusker Project provides extra protection to big tusk elephants. The term ‘Big Tusker’ refers to any elephant that has tusks so large that they scrape the floor. Sadly, there are now only thought to be around 25 ‘Big Tuskers’ left in the wild.
Targeted by poachers
The rarity of ‘Big Tuskers’ is partly due to elephants with such long tusks being naturally quite rare, but also because they are targeted for poaching. Ivory fetches a high price on the black market. 1kg of ivory can sell for thousands of dollars. A Big Tuskers tusks can weigh up to 50kg each so sadly they are highly sought after.
To find out more about elephant conservation please visit our Adopt an Elephant page.
