“Tembe definitely features as one of the top reserves in Africa when it comes to conservation of elephants with large ivory. “Even in a park like Kruger National Park, the average bull carries much smaller ivory than the average bull in Tembe. Nowhere else have I seen so many bulls with such good ivory. “The second best place in Africa in my opinion for ivory is Tembe Elephant Park. “The best genes for ivory in Africa are currently in Kenya, in Tsavo National Park. Marais’ concern is that, “Selective destruction of great tuskers by trophy hunters in particular has resulted in the loss of some of the finest great tusker genes in Africa today. “This is exactly the reason why the once numerous hundred-pounders have diminished to less than 40 bulls in the whole of Africa today.”ĭr. “Hunting of these magnificent bulls takes place exactly at this stage, so that few of these bulls are able to pass their genes on to future generations. “During the early 1900s, great tuskers were the norm in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the south-western corner of Ethiopia, southern Sudan and the grassy plains of Tanzania and Kenya.”Įlephant bulls reach their breeding prime at about 35 to 40 years of age – but, “Unfortunately this is the same time when they also emerge as hundred-pounders.”Īlso: “Their ivory grows exponentially at this stage so that it becomes very large over only a short number of years. Marais, who has travelled extensively in Southern, Eastern and Central Africa in search of free-roaming elephants, recently wrote that the species is, “The marquee of African wildlife… with their highly social complexity and intelligent minds have always compelled respect.”Īnd, he says, tuskers (bulls with tusks that exceed 100 pounds – or 45.45 kg – in weight) play a vital role in their ecology.īut they’ve been systematically destroyed. … And you don’t even need to go there to see them: just click on the webcam whenever you need a reality check.ĭr. The pristine wilderness of the reserve boasts the Big Five – elephant, lion, leopard, rhino (black and white) and buffalo – as well many other mammal species (including the tiny Suni, one of the world’s smallest antelope), and more than 340 species of birds. His tusks are estimated to be about 2.5 metres long, and to weigh between 60 and 65 kg). (Isilo, the largest of them all, is thought to be between 45 and 53 years of age, to weigh between 6,500 and 7,000 kilograms, and to stand about 3.2 metres tall. Situated on the KwaZulu-Natal side of the South Africa / Mozambique Transfrontier Park, Tembe is managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and is home to more than 260 of the largest elephant in the world – and to three of the largest tuskers in Southern Africa: Isilo, Mkadebona, and Siqualo. Johan Marais – who’s published two books on Africa’s elephants (Great Tuskers of Africa, and In search of Africa’s Great Tuskers) – you’ll find them in the unique sand forests and grasslands of the Tembe National Elephant Park. Looking for the largest tuskers in Southern Africa?Īccording to equine and wildlife surgeon Dr.