Magnificent Elephant bull

[Gert Odendaal]

Members, a video about a magnificent young elephant bull:

 

[Nyati]

Thanks Gert, he is really magnificent !

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Yes, Nyati, I totally agree, nature at it`s best. just magnificent , beautiful and so graceful... I would like to walk with it for a few days ..just to appreciate it`s magnificence

 

[Tanks]

Yes, Nyati, I totally agree, nature at it`s best. just magnificent , beautiful and so graceful... I would like to walk with it for a few days ..just to appreciate it`s magnificence

It has been dead since 2017, so would be hard to walk with it in this life. It was magnificent though.

 

[Gert Odendaal]

It has been dead since 2017, so would be hard to walk with it in this life. It was magnificent though.

Yes, Tanks, still it would be a privilege to walk with such a magnificent beast for a few days ..

 

[CAustin]

Yes, Tanks, still it would be a privilege to walk with such a magnificent beast for a few days ..

I agree with you 100% sir and thanks for sharing.

 

[CAustin]

I also thought it was cool to see the young Askari hanging out with him.

 

[PARA45]

Such magnificent creature. What a shame that he died. Does anyone know if he died naturally or poached?

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Such magnificent creature. What a shame that he died. Does anyone know if he died naturally or poached?

This elephant was still in a great condition and healthy ...old elephants usually dies of starvation, when the six th molar set is grind away they starve to death, especially where they are protected in National Parks, most of the old elephants in the Botswana parks dies of starvation when their last set of molars wear to thin to grind their food down...This is what most people do not understand and where I really perceive "trophy hunting" ( my definition of trophy hunting: very old bulls elephant bulls on their last set of molars/buffalo bulls scrum caps ) I really would urge outfitters/safari operators to re-consider their definition of trophy hunting being: huge /heavy tusks or large wide spread bosses not worn down ( still young animal/herd bulls) as pointed out by Doctor Kevin Robertson due to this ideology only 3% of the buffalo gene pool are left in Africa...it really would be a great day if we as hunters request our PH/outfitters/guides to focus on the old animals as trophies ......
Answer to the question in regards to this great elephant bull`s death:
https://www.sanparks.org/about/news/?id=57281

 

[Foxi]

what a beauty.
Wonderful.
How old was this bull gessed ?
What do you think Gert ,how many pounds the tusks had ?

 

[PARA45]

Thank you Gert for the informative link.

 

[Gert Odendaal]

what a beauty.
Wonderful.
How old was this bull gessed ?
What do you think Gert ,how many pounds the tusks had ?

Cause of death: Injury due to a fight with another bull , this was the second time it happened...the bull was still in great condition after the last pictures was taken by game ranger in the area where he was seen last...they retrieved the tusks and the tusks was identified by a ranger who monitored the where-about of this animal due to potential risks of poaching....aged 49 to 50 years of age ..according to knowledgeable nature conservationists it is a myth that elephants will reach an age of 60 to seventy years..the last set of molars prevent this phenomenon ,,,as pointed out these old bulls usually dies of starvation if it is not poach or dies from a fight with another bull due to injuries...

 

[Paul Raley]

Thanks for posting the video Gert , a truly majestic beast , sad that he died before his time .
Myself and my family are privileged to live relatively close to the Kruger Park and visit there as often as possible , anywhere from 6 to 10 times a year . Over the years we have been lucky enough to see many of the big tuskers and for us it is always a special sighting to see a magnificent tusker .
Regarding the weight of Masthulele’s tusks I can only find one reference to his left tusk which was 234cm long and weighed 51 kgs .( 112 pounds )
I must also admit as a hunter I would never be able to shoot such a magnificent animal unless it was for self defense or to put the animal out of its misery .

 

[Newboomer]

What a magnificent creature. I just hope had passed his genes along. I agree about taking the old ones. I always told my PH that was what I wanted unless we were culling. Even then I tried to pick older ones.

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Thanks for posting the video Gert , a truly majestic beast , sad that he died before his time .
Myself and my family are privileged to live relatively close to the Kruger Park and visit there as often as possible , anywhere from 6 to 10 times a year . Over the years we have been lucky enough to see many of the big tuskers and for us it is always a special sighting to see a magnificent tusker .
Regarding the weight of Masthulele’s tusks I can only find one reference to his left tusk which was 234cm long and weighed 51 kgs .( 112 pounds )
I must also admit as a hunter I would never be able to shoot such a magnificent animal unless it was for self defense or to put the animal out of its misery .

How hunting has changed over the few decades..when the white hunters, ivory hunters hunted for elephant they only shot these big magnificent elephant bulls , I believe they truly believe in those days and era it was what hunting was about, to earn a living, experience Africa as a Wilderness..and adventure...which even us long for today within this technology driven era we are living today...as you pointed out Paul, still I will not be able to shoot such a magnificent animal, even an elephant cow ...which is not making any sense at all, keep in mind there are just too many elephants and they are destroying nature and habitat of other species at a great rate ..as well as humans destroying Africa by burning forests to farm ...in the centre of this scenario the only thing making sense is sustainable utilisation through hunting and that includes trophy hunting to harvest these old bulls that is busy dying due to their sixth set of molars being worn away..this is an occurrence taking place frequently in Botswana ..carcasses of numerous elephants has been found with their tusks in tact and evidence of starvation identified as the cause ....this naturally is something the "green people/bunny huggers do not want to hear about or listen to..on another 4x4 forum a discussion of Tim the Giant Tusker of the Ambroselli National Park died a year or two ago..according to the Nature conservation experts it was due to "natural causes" which effectively translates into death by starvation....which is more acceptable than auctioning of this great giant Tusker to ensure funds /benefits to the National park was gained through trophy hunting ....
https://www.earthtouchnews.com/cons...well-to-one-of-africas-most-iconic-elephants/

Ironic is their views that this animal was three times speared by local people who chased Tim off their crops , the same crops they are dependable on to survive , the same people who do not get any compensation from the "green people /bunny huggers" for their crops being destroyed and sometimes lost their life by being trampled by these crop raiders..

Comments in regards to Tim the great Tusker being given human emotional characteristics to an animal no where is pointed out that the natural causes actually means death by starvation....)
MOURNING TIM, ONE OF AFRICA’S LAST GREAT TUSKERS

The only marks on his body were the imprints left by other elephants. Perhaps it was his companions, trying to lift him back on his feet. Push the life back into him.

Tim is dead, and at Big Life Foundation we’re all in a state of shock. One elephant’s life shouldn’t matter more than another. But in this moment, this one does. As one of the biggest elephants in Africa, he was a magnificent relic of a bygone era when his kind where more common.

But to us, and anyone who spent any time with him, there was more to it than that. He was one of the only elephants of his size who calmly tolerated human presence, and placed a dangerously naïve amount of trust in our species.

Over the last five decades, Tim became one of Kenya’s most famous elephants and one of the continent’s last great tuskers, with tusks each weighing in excess of 100 pounds. They were an astounding burden to carry, not least because they made him an incredibly valuable target for any poacher.

He witnessed half a century of changes in the Greater Amboseli ecosystem, and those changes had nearly killed him three times already. Three times, he was speared by farmers defending their crops against his night-time raids. The spears missed organs, but the close shaves were frequent reminders of his vulnerability. Last year, he got stuck in the Kimana swamp, and were it not for a quick coordinated response to pull him out, that would have been the end.

Sadly, this now is.

We are hopeful that his end was natural, and all indications are that that was the case. There are no obvious wounds on his body, nor any sign of foul play, but we need to wait for the full post-mortem test results from Kenya Wildlife Service before we will know for sure.

Tim leaves a huge hole in the heart of the Amboseli ecosystem, and on the earth. Thankfully, his genes live on in many of the other Amboseli elephants. There can and will be more like him in future, if we continue to protect the rest of his kind.