Astonishing Last Pictures Of The Legendary ‘Elephant Queen’ Before She Died

Elephants are, undoubtedly, one of the most majestic animals walking the Earth. Despite being approximately 3m (9 feet 107⁄64 inches) tall and African elephants weighing around 6000kg (13,227 pounds) on average, they are gentle giants, known for their strong family bonds and empathy. Sadly, some people in the world don’t see the gentle nature in the animal when they look at them; they see a profit. ‘Save the Elephants’ reported that research conducted between 2002 and 2011 by Maisels et al. estimated that the global forest elephant population was reduced by 62 percent. The organization also reported that the increasing demand for ivory in the Far East is the primary reason for poaching.

As elephant numbers plummeted through the years, several countries put enormous effort into the conservation of their animals. Tsavo Trust and Kenya Wildlife Service are only a couple from many, and their mission is to conserve and manage the wildlife of that region. The two organizations partnered with a British photographer Will Burrard-Lucas to demonstrate the beautiful nature and animals in Tsavo.

The photographer recently shared the journey on his blog, detailing the efforts. The main subject of Burrard-Lucas’ photographs, however, was something that truly stood out from the crowd of other elephants.

F_MU1 lived for more than sixty years and led a peaceful life, managing to evade harm. Unfortunately, while Will was snapping shots of the elephants, an ongoing drought made it hard for the animals to survive, particularly the younglings and elders. Food was scarce, and it was probably a significant contributor to the Elephant Queen’s passing a couple of weeks later.

Burrard-Lucas’ shots not only show how majestic and regal the old tusker looked like, but it also celebrates her long and peaceful existence and is a testament to the beauty of life that all the conservations protect. The photos are featured in Will’s new book titled “Land of Giants” along different shots of Tsavo’s other iconic tuskers. The book is planned to be released on 20th March 2019.