The inspiration for the Tsavo Trust’s logo comes from Kenani, the first Super Tusker that our founder Richard Moller discovered in Tsavo. The Tsavo Trust owes its existence to this old and wise icon. When he showed it to conservationists back in Nairobi and abroad, no-one believed that an elephant with tusks of this size still existed. Following significant aerial monitoring and surveillance, along with extensive ground patrols, Richard and his team were able to identify 14 similar creatures. What had been discovered that year in Tsavo was beyond what many thought possible: an existing and viable breeding ground for one of the rarest and most remarkable animals on Earth: the Super Tusker elephant.
These enormous African elephants carry ivory which weigh an incredible 100 lbs or more on each side. Often, their tusks are so long they reach right down to the ground and wear away on the base of the curve as a result.
But these tusks – meant for protection – are now their greatest threat. Thousands have fallen in the name of human greed, leaving only a handful in existence today.
The Tsavo Trust was founded in 2013 with the aim to protect this final gene pool from the relentless threat of poaching, and to give the Super Tuskers a right to life in the wild.
These giants are very special creatures and continue to inspire our work. They command respect wherever they roam, wise authorities within their herds; and royalty within the animal kingdom. Other species keep their distance, bowing in their presence. When faced with loss, elephants grieve; and when faced with mistreatment, they remember. What must be behind those eyes? What stories could Kenani tell, through droughts and mass slaughter as far back as the 70s.
These remarkable creatures represent the plight of all African animals through recent decades. They are beacons of hope. If we can save them, we can save their families. If we can save their families, we can save their environment. If we can save their environment, we save all the other life that exists in this extraordinary ecosystem. The value of the Super Tuskers for future generations of Kenyans can not be underestimated.
Our founding ambition to help them still exist in the form of our Big Tusker Project today – and, by monitoring and protecting them, the ecosystem at large is also able to thrive and prosper safely as a result.