Standard: 40" x 32"

Large: 60" x 48"

If you had told me when I first picked up a camera my journey would take me to within a few feet of one of the world’s largest elephants, I’m not sure I would have believed it. And yet, in February 2021, that is where I ended up.

‘Craig’, pictured here, is one of the last of his kind. A ‘Super Tusker’; an elephant with tusks weighing more than 45kg (100Ibs) each, and perhaps one of the best known elephants alive today.

It is estimated that perhaps only 20 super tuskers remain alive today, spread between the Tsavo-Amboseli eco-system in South East Kenya. Spending time in their presence is one of the most exhilarating experiences available to a wildlife photographer, making you wonder what it must have been like to spend time on safari many decades ago when sights like this one would have been more frequent.

The key to the survival of these beautiful giants is the protection of the environment in which they live. With Kenya’s human population set to double by 2050, the competition for space is at risk of eliminating the last handful of super tuskers.

This is where organisations like David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and Saving The Wild play such a key role. Helping to protect the last areas of wilderness available to these great creatures and ensuring the protection of the super tusker gene. Because of their work, and that of many other dedicated individuals and organisations, images and sights like this remain possible, but only just.