In Memory of Craig

Word is circling the globe today as news comes of the death of one of the last great tusker elephants, an iconic bull known as Craig.

When I first met Craig in 2022, Amboseli National Park in Kenya was deep in the clutches of a devastating drought.  Driving through the park in our Toyota Land Cruisers with knowledgeable guides at the wheel, we saw carcass after carcass of animals that perished for lack of feed.

There was water, to be sure, but no rain to drench the arid savannah and bring forth the life-sustaining plants and trees that so many herbivores depended on.

We had hopes of seeing Craig, a bull elephant renowned for his long tusks.   He was then in his 50s and in poor condition because of the drought.  Not only was feed scarce, but Craig was nearing the end of his natural life span because he was running out of teeth.

Elephants have 26 teeth:   the ivory tusks (modified incisors)  are the most prominent.   Then, 12 premolars and 12 molars.

Unlike humans, elephants continually grow molars, six sets of them.   They start with four.   As they are worn down from grinding food, the next molar in line moves forward, and another molar erupts, and so on, until the aged elephant has gone through six sets.

That is the stage where Craig was when I saw him.   It pained me to see him grinding dead limbs, searching endlessly for the fibrous nutrition that would sustain him.

Craig undoubtedly died because his last set of molars was worn down.

It is a blessing to know he died a natural death, rather than to have been killed for his immense tusks.   Each one was estimated to weigh 100 lbs.   Craig was one of the few remaining tuskers on earth.  He was protected 24 hours a day from poachers by the Kenya Wildlife Service, the Big Life Foundation, the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, and Maasai community rangers.

I shot this video of Craig and not until I was able to review it,  did I realize what a treasure I had.  Craig passed  my vehicle and was so close I could have reached out and touched him.

Up ahead, my friend Marg Wood was on the ground, pointing her camera up to get the great shots of Craig.   As the elephant neared her, it paused for a long time as Marg continued to shoot, as if knowing-- or perhaps remembering--the human he'd met a few months before.

Then, raising its trunk as if in salute, it moved into a nearby bush to continue browsing.   

That interaction between the two grabbed my heart.  I think it is indicative of the recognition each felt for the other--recognition, kindness, and respect.

A short time later, we moved away, and our breakfast was set out of the hoods of the Land Cruisers.   Craig joined us at a distance, and his company was appreciated. 

Below are two links to more photos and info about Craig from my stories in 2022.

https://gullible-gulliblestravels.blogspot.com/2025/08/world-elephant-day.html#comment-form

 

https://gullible-gulliblestravels.blogspot.com/search/label/Craig