Rare 'Great Tusker' Elephant, Killed By Poison Arrow, Was Important To Herd Survival

satao-ii-tusker — Satao II, one of the rare great tusker elephants, was killed by poachers in Kenya. National Geographic

Poachers have killed a rare elephant with enormous tusks in Kenya, further endangering what was already a small group of elephants with experience crucial to their herds.

Satao II, a 50-year-old “great tusker” who was the namesake of another great tusker killed a few years back, was found dead in January but the conservation group Tsavo Trust only announced the incident on Monday. National Geographic reports that the experts think “he was killed by a poisoned arrow while feeding in the eastern region of the park,” where a lot of poaching takes place.

The elephant’s death was revealed the same day poachers broke into a French zoo, killed a white rhinoceros and sawed off one of its horns.

Great tuskers have tusks long enough to reach the ground and can weigh upward of 100 pounds each. “This makes them an especially attractive potential target for poachers, who attack elephants for their lucrative ivory,” National Geographic says. “It’s estimated that as few as 25 tuskers remain in all of Africa, and only 10 were observed by the Tsavo trust in January.” In that respect, Satao II’s death represents a big loss for the animal kingdom, as tusk features like size are genetic. Another crucial element is their life experience, in both a social and environmental sense, which they could impart to younger elephants.

Read: Watch an Elephant Try to Play with a Rhino

Although the original Satao had his face hacked off for his ivory, Satao II’s tusks were left behind. And the poachers responsible for his death may have already been apprehended, according to the report.

Elephant tusks may seem like a fashion accessory but they serve multiple purposes. Encyclopaedia Britannica lists “defense, offense, digging, lifting objects, gathering food, and stripping bark to eat from trees.” And because the trunk lies between the tusks, they provide protection for that appendage.