Elephant Lugard, who owned the world’s largest tusk, has died of natural causes at the age of 53. The death of the famous elephant has left many nature lovers with regret.

Lugard is one of the few super tusks in the Tsavo Nature Reserve (Kenya). Super-tusk elephants are elephants with a genetic mutation that gives them a pair of long, ground-touching tusks that can weigh up to 50kg each.

Lugard’s body was discovered on Nov. 23 by pilot Joseph Kimaile and a ranger during a routine reconnaissance flight over Tsavo National Park.Lugard’s super elephant carcass seen from aboveSuper Ivory Lugard’s corpse. The elephant died of natural causes at the age of 53.

Super Ivory Lugard’s corpse. The elephant died of natural causes at the age of 53. (Photo: Ƭsavo Trust).
Rangers from the Kenya Wildlife Service and Tsavo National Park are verifying information at the site where Lugard’s remains were found.

Lugard’s death has been determined to be natural causes, however, animal experts say severe drought conditions in La Savo over the past few months hastened the elephant’s natural death.

At the time of his death, Lugard was determined to be 53 years old. In the natural environment, male African elephants can be up to 60 years old and females can be up to 45 years old, but sometimes elephants live to 70 years old.

Lugard’s two huge tusks were intact when the elephant died and had been preserved by authorities for protection.

“It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to one of Tsavo’s familiar symbols, the super-tusk elephant named Lugard, who has passed away at an advanced age,” said a Tsavo National Park representative.

Lugard is one of the most famous elephants living in the Tsavo Nature Reserve, thanks to his pair of huge tusks. Experts say Lugard may have been the largest male elephant in the world during his lifetime.

Lugɑrd is said to have owned the largest pair of tusks in the world during his lifetime. (Photo: Ƭwitter).
Lugard had mated with many female elephants in the reserve during his lifetime, leaving behind many young elephants. Experts hope Lugard will pass on his mutant genes so that there will be more super-tusk elephants in the future.

Lugard’s death came three weeks after rangers discovered the body of Dida, a tusked female elephant who also lived in Tsavo National Park. Dida died of natural causes and lived to be 65.

So in less than a month, two extremely rare giant tusked elephants died one after another.

It is estimated that there are currently seven adult super tusks and 27 new super tusks in the Tsavo Nature Reserve.

The Tsavo Wildlife Trust and Kenуa Animal Care Force are working together to protect tusked elephants living in the Ƭsavo nature reserve from poachers. The huge tusks of these mutant elephants are targeted by poachers and are worth a fortune on the black market.