#TuskerTim! As I mourn the death of Tim, the magnificent Kenyan tusker, the constant weight of sadness I feel knowing I will never again be able to spend time with him, is incomparable to those who have watched over Tim for so many years. He was such a special elephant.
Saving the Wild’s partners Big Life Foundation went to great lengths to protect him, and that he died a natural death, and not at the hands of poachers, is a victory in itself. We must never forget that.
Elephants are extraordinary animals, intelligence beyond our basic human understanding, and deep emotional bonds between family members. We have so much to learn from these gentle giants who have roamed the earth for millions of years. As we mourn the death of Tim, as a community, we also give thanks to those who went to great lengths to protect and honor Tim while he was still alive.
Saving the Wild is committed to the protection of Tim’s offspring and the tusker gene pool, in support of the Big Life Foundation. Over the years and decades to come, we look forward to sharing many wonderful stories from the field as we watch the calves he fathered rise to be Kings.
“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 at 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 was more common.”
"Tim lived a life that saw him become an icon for his species. Photographs, videos, and stories focusing on this grand old boy have been taken and told for years and with that, he has helped influence the world’s understanding and attitude towards elephants. He was a daily reminder that we share this earth with giants who are more impressive and far more beneficial to the health of the planet than we can ever hope to be."
- Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
“We will miss Tim, but we also hope that his legend lives on and he continues to inspire people to protect elephants. He has fathered many calves too, and we are happy he got to live a long life in the wild.”- Amboseli Trust for Elephants
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