Isilo (c. 1956 – 2014) was one of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

’s largest African elephants and the largest living tusker in the southern hemisphere before his death. He was known as a '' tusker,'' a male elephant with

tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine teeth, as with pigs and walruses, or, in the case of elephants, elongated incisors. Tusks share c ...

s weighing over 100 pounds. Although Isilo died of natural causes relating to old age, his death attracted international media attention because his tusks, considered a National Heritage artifact, were missing when his body was discovered.

Background

Isilo was an African elephant that lived in

Tembe Elephant Park Tembe Elephant Park is a 30 012 ha game reserve in Maputaland, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is adjacent to Ndumo Game Reserve. The park was developed by Tembe Tribal Authority and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. It was established in 1983 to protect ...

in South Africa, home to some of the largest elephants in the world. Isilo’s name means “King” in Zulu. Born during the late 1950s, he was estimated to have been at least 58 years old when he died. Isilo weighed between 6.5 and 7 tonnes. Isilo's tusks were estimated to be more than 3 meters (9 feet) long. The right tusk weighed about 65 kg (143 pounds) and the left about 60 kg (132 pounds).

Death

Isilo died of natural causes in an area known to be his home range in a southwest section of the park around 10 January 2014. His carcass was discovered in late March 2014 and his death was announced on April 4, 2014 by

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wildlife conservation areas and biodiversity in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Their headquarters is in Queen Elizabeth Park situated on the northern slopes o ...

and Ernest Robbertse, Manager of the Tembe Elephant Park Lodge. His tusks were missing and had been removed one after the other over a period of two weeks. They had most likely been taken by suspected rhino poachers and transported over the border into

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

where tusks are shipped to the Far East, the world's biggest market for ivory. Isilo's tusks were estimated to have a

black market A black market, underground economy, or shadow economy is a clandestine market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality or is characterized by noncompliance with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the se ...

value of approximately R3 million (about $250,000. US).

Reactions to the death

Isilo's death resulted in international media attention due to his celebrity status and the loss of his tusks, considered a National Heritage artifact. Isilo's tusks were the heritage of the Tembe clan, part owners and ancestral custodians of the Tembe Elephant Park. Inkosi Mabhudu Tembe, chief of the Tembe clan, planned to offer the tusks to South Africa for display at the King Shaka Airport in

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to promote tourism. In April 2014, Inkosi Tembe offered a R100 000 (approx $8600 US) reward for the return of the missing tusks.

Other large tuskers

Tsavo East National Park Tsavo East National Park is one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya at 13,747 square kilometres. Situated in a semi-arid area previously known as the Taru Desert it opened in April 1948, and is located near the town of Voi in the Taita ...

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in June 2014, Satao the biggest tusker in East Africa – with ivory as big as Isilo's – was killed by poachers with poisoned spears.

Books and other media

Isilo is acknowledged in two books by Dr. Johan Marais, who believes that the largest elephants in the world can be found in the Tembe National Elephant Park: * Marais, Johan (2008) ''Great Tuskers of Africa'' Penguin Global * Marais, Johan (2011) ''In Search of Africa’s Great Tuskers'' Penguin Global James Currie, international wildlife expert, was the last person to film Isilo before his disappearance. In 2016, he launched a Kickstarter campaign to film ''Last of the Big Tuskers'' a documentary about the largest elephants on earth and what is being done to ensure their survival. The documentary was released in October 2018.

References

{{Reflist Individual elephants Individual wild animals

African bush elephant The African bush elephant (''Loxodonta africana'') is one of two extant African elephant species and one of three extant elephant species. It is the largest living terrestrial animal, with bulls reaching a shoulder height of up to and a body ...