CAPE TOWN—Humane Society International/Africa has released a new documentary today that highlights the threat to East Africa’s super tusker elephants. These gentle giants, known for having at least one tusk that weighs over 45 kilograms (100 pounds), are being pushed to the brink of extinction by rampant trophy hunting.
It is estimated that fewer than 10 super tusker elephants remain in the Greater Amboseli ecosystem, with fewer than 50 left across the entire African continent. Over the past 18 months, five super tusker elephant bulls from the Amboseli elephant population have been shot and killed in Tanzania’s Enduimet Wildlife Management Area by trophy hunters.
The 16-minute film, directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker Nick Chevallier, investigates the tragic plight of super tuskers and their critical importance to the survival of the larger elephant population. Through interviews with influential Kenyan and Tanzanian community members, pastoralists, scientists and global conservationists, including Dr. Audrey Delsink and Claire Bass from Humane Society International, the documentary highlights the biological, ecological, economic and cultural significance of these imperilled animals.
Dr. Audrey Delsink, elephant behaviour expert and senior wildlife director for HSI/Africa, says, “Africa’s iconic super tuskers are being driven to the brink of extinction by the senseless greed of trophy hunters. Beyond their remarkable size, these animals are vital pillars of their societies, crucial for maintaining social and demographic stability and ecosystem health. Their deaths have deeply devastating consequences for elephant culture and African landscapes. These giants must be protected not just for their own sake but for current and future generations of elephants and humans. Urgent action by policy makers is essential to their survival.”
Super tusker elephant bulls are indispensable to their ecosystem, playing a crucial role in bull hierarchy, reproduction, and natural selection. Killing these older animals can have a hugely destabilizing effect on elephant families and herds, leading to increased aggression among younger males and even potentially escalating human wildlife conflict.
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at HSI/UK, states, “These animals have survived decades of habitat loss, poaching and climate change and are awe-inspiring icons of the natural world. For trophy hunters to put them in the crosshairs to end their lives just for bragging rights is as selfish as it is sick. Governments need to protect these irreplaceable animals from trophy hunting and the global trophy trade before they are wiped out.”
Super tuskers are currently listed under Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species, to which both Kenya and Tanzania are parties. Despite the countries’ collaborative conservation efforts, including a 1995 moratorium to protect these cross-border elephants, the continued killing of these iconic animals by trophy hunters remains largely unaddressed.
Dr. Joyce Poole, co-founder and co-director of ElephantVoices, who has studied this elephant population for over 40 years states, “In my mind, it’s just absolutely insane to compromise a whole lineage of unique, big-tusked elephants for a few hunters who’ve come here and want to stick these tusks on their wall.”
The documentary’s release takes place just ahead of Safari Club International’s annual convention, in Nashville, Tenn., where representatives from over 114 countries, including Tanzania, are expected to attend. The event will feature 950 exhibitors and an auction with 460 hunts and items donated by the convention’s exhibitors. Among these auction items is a safari package from Kilombero North Safaris, a Tanzania-based company previously linked to the killing of at least two Greater Amboseli super tuskers.
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Media contact: Dr. Matthew Schurch, HSI/Africa senior wildlife specialist, mschurch@hsi.org, +27 66 275 0956
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