Asian Geographic - 08.2018

Remember seeing an elephant with tusks so long they kissed the ground?

Probably not. These majestic specimens and their precious genes are

rapidly fading from the species – and perhaps even human memory

The Last Great Tuskers

FADING GIANTS

Text and Photos George Dian Balan

WILDLIFE

right The youngest

great tusker in Asia is

just 23, but his tusks

are already two metres

long, a length typical of

40-year-old specimens

Asian Elephant

(Elephas maximus)

Size: Up to 3.4m tall (males) or 2.9m tall (females)

Life Span: Up to 70 years

Location: India and 12 countries in Southeast Asia

Notable Trait: Males typically grow tusks, while cows

have small incisor teeth called tushes

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TUSKER TIMELINE

ȑAsian elephants diverge

from woolly mammoths

ȑBig tuskers are still

common across South Asia

ȑBig tuskers are hunted

in India and Myanmar

ȑThe last big tuskers are

sent to Western zoos

ȑMost big tuskers belong

to tourist sites

31st century Bce 1800s 1900s 1970s 2010s