ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A super tusker is an elephant whose tusks are over nine feet long and weigh over 100 pounds each. An elephant named Craig could be considered the ambassador for super tuskers. A giant among giants, he passed away on Jan. 3 in Kenya.<\/p>\n
A calm personality who was very tolerant of photographers \u2014 and quite possibly the current most photographed elephant in the world \u2014 he lived to be 54 years old.<\/p>\n
When you hear about the death of an elephant, it is easy to assume that poachers were involved. That isn\u2019t the case with Craig. Any death is sad, but in Craig\u2019s case there is a win; he died from natural causes.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s due in part to conservation efforts by groups like Big Life Foundation<\/a>. The organization protects over 1.5 million acres in east Africa and the animals that live there. It\u2019s also possible that Craig was protected by his celebrity.<\/p>\n Alaskan wildlife photographer, Brian Montalbo<\/a>, leads photographic expeditions to Africa through his travel business, Beyond Adventure Travel. Craig was a popular part of his expeditions.<\/p>\n