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Originally posted by fairgame:
Recently two elephants a 90lb and 106lb were taken in Botswana and has created a furor internationally.

The Elephants were taken in remote concessions bordering photographic areas.

The Africa Geographic CEO AG CEO Simon Espley writes - 'The surgical removal of Africa’s remaining large-tusked elephants by trophy hunters will not solve any human-elephant conflict or habitat issues. The volume of elephants hunted is not sufficient to reduce elephant populations. Instead, the likely result of the selection of large-tusked elephants as trophies will be to hasten the disappearance of tuskers from the African landscape.'

My initial reaction was to defend legal hunting and be done with it but on consideration, it would be a sad day if big tuskers were removed forever?

Would it be feasible that such elephants to be identified and left alone? That hunting quotas be more accepted or increased in communal areas to keep the sport alive?

I suppose what I am saying is there room for compromise?

When I was young my father worked in Tsavo and these beasts were commonplace and my many years in the field I have seen less and less of these big tuskers.

Do we as hunters want to conserve them or take them as opportunist trophies but bearing in mind the backlash that occurs?

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One could apply this logic to any species and let the antis run with it. 30” Sitatunga, 50”Sable, 50”Buffalo

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From Dr. Kevin Robertson (with his permission):
Hi Lane,

I have read the thread and listened to the podcasts mentioned.

The PH involved had a very good and ‘correct’ post, which is similar to what he had to say on his podcast.

Mastuelle - the biggest bull in the KNP when I was there from 2012 to 2016 was a 130 pounder.

Saw him a few times as my game ranger friend there followed him closely.

Then he suddenly went missing and his carcass was found about a month later - he had been killed by a younger, fitter and stronger bull.

He was aged to be 47 at the time of his death.

Some say there are now 40 000 ellies in the KNP -and so it is not surprising that all the old iconic bulls are being killed by aggressive and ‘horny’ younger bulls.

The Chura bull - at the time the largest bull in Zimbabwe (114 pounder) - photographed on Lake Kariba in the late 1980’s if I remember correctly - he too was killed by a younger bull in a fight - I saw him with a large septic stomach wound shortly before he died - he had been tusked in the abdomen and died of peritonitis.

I think it was only a matter of time before the hunted bull met the same fate!!!

Elephants get 6 sets of molars in their lifetime - the last set of which is usually in wear by the age of 45 yrs.

When that set wears out, game over.

Elephants are primarily grass eaters and require 6 to 7 % CP in their diet.

When perennial grasses have seeded, they sceness - which is the storage of their nutrients in their roots so they can regrow the next rainy season.

Elephants know all the nutrients are in the roots of dormant grasses so when they feed on grass they pull - with their trunk while kicking with their front feet so the whole plant, roots and all are removed.

In areas with very sandy soil - like Botswana’s kalahari, lots of sand remains on the roots of the grasses when they are pulled out.

Some of this is usually cleaned off by stripping the grass over a tusk tip and we often see grooves worn into the tusks as a result of this.

The elephant chewing motion is anterior/posterior not laterally like a bovine and if there remains sand on the grass roots its abrasive action grinds the teeth down - so elephants in sandy areas have more rapid molar wear than which occurs with those in swampy areas for example where more aquatic plants are eaten, and where the roots can be washed in water.

These simple facts influence significantly how well or quickly elephants age.

The big tuskers in the Letaba Elephant museum in the KNP all died of old age in their early to mid 50’s. None I recall made it to 60.

It is said that old elephant bulls remain sexually active until late in life but this is something I question.

As you know strength and social dominance are the keys to breeding favors - and no way can a large, blunt-tusked bull in his middle to late 40’s compete with virile 35 yr old or so bull with shorter, sharper tusks.

Large tusked bulls are seriously disadvantaged when it comes to fights for breeding rights - a bit like taking a sledge hammer to a sword fight!

I have seen quite a number of large tusked bulls and they all looked seriously disadvantaged - walking with difficulty and resting with their tusks on the ground.

Every one was a loner - never saw such a bull in the company of another elephant.

They can’t lie down on their sides to sleep (because they can’t get up again) and a bull cannot lie in sternal recumbency for more than 15 minutes - so they are forced to sleep standing up or leaning against a tree.

Also they usually cannot lift their heads high enough to be able to mount an in estrus cow anyway, let alone lift their front feet off the ground to copulate, especially when their tusks get in the way!.

In my opinion the bull in question was way past being able to physically copulate - even it he wanted to and he was all on this own and hiding away from more virile bulls which is typical old elephant bull behavior.

The fact he was never seen before is testify to this.

A 122 pounder was shot near Gonarezhou some years ago - and he had never been see before by anyone!

Amazing in this day and age such ellies still exist.

So in my opinion the shooting of that old bull was just a lucky event - he was near the end of his natural lifespan, he had had the opportunity to pass his genes on many years previously and he met a quick merciful death.

I have no problem with any of that.

I disagree with it being splashed all over the internet.

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I disagree with it being splashed all over the internet.

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Kevin,
Don’t you also have some data to suggest at what age these tuskers begin to put on the ivory mass?

Lane,
Yes, it starts when they are on their 5 th molar and really ramps up when the 6 th is in wear at 45 - the ivory becomes denser when the ‘honeycomb pores fill up - and this is when it becomes a lot more brittle.

I did a podcast on all this: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/...1474?i=1000547076257

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Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
Thank you, Drs. Easter and Robertson.

This kind of empirical information is not only interesting, and essential to the preservation of the elephant, but it is also critical to the "de-criminalization" of hunters, who are the best and most effective conservationists on our planet.

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Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
I barely even know what a podcast is, but I will see if I can find those. Thanks.