Kenya’s conservation community is in mourning today. The sad and shocking news from the Amboseli National Park is that Tolstoy, yet another iconic gentle giant is dead. According to the Amboseli Elephant Trust, which has been researching and collecting elephant data in the wild for 50 years, he died of natural causes on April 27th, 2022, at the age of 51. In 2020, the country also lost another iconic elephant known as Tim, who also died at the age of 51.
Tolstoy was known for long curved tusks that his mother, Teresia, also had. He was Tim’s uncle and a sister to Theodora. They are all relatives of the famous Echo family, one of the elephant families that Cynthia Moss and Harvey Croze chose to research in 1972.
The increase in human population and their cattle, increase in water volume in the Amboseli national park, and agricultural activities have increased pressure on the ecosystem. These factors have brought human-wildlife conflict. Elephants and lions are speared or trapped on snares as they roam the bordering conservation areas such as Amboseli national park, Kimana Conservancy, Tsavo National Park, Chyulu Hills National Park, and Kitendeni conservation corridor in Tanzania.
Tolstoy was a father to many, and his strong genes will remain for generations. Craig, his nephew Townsend, and Ulysses are other famous Amboseli National Park elephants.
If you would like to see the giants of Amboseli in their natural habitat and learn about their rich history, check out our Amboseli game drive and holiday packages for international and local visitors.