A photographer has captured stunning photographs of an exceedingly rare “super tusker” elephant in the wild.
This elephant is thought to be one of just 25 surviving ones in the world, with enormous tusks that almost reach the ground and weigh more than seven stones each.
The magnificent creature, which can be found in the Tsavo East National Park in Kenya, is under relentless a.t.tack by poachers who may earn up to £80 per huge tusk on the black market.
These incredible photographs were taken by Pareet Shah from Mombasa, Kenya.
When he was on a game drive, 38-year-old Chris fell upon the incredible rare creature.
“We were out on a game drive in the Tsavo East National Park in Kenya looking for a pair of mating leopards that had been reported in the area when, from a distance, we spotted this enormous super tusker elephant. ”
Her tusks shone like crystals in the morning light, drawing us to her.
“This made me realize how vulnerable they are to poa.ch.ers, since they are so ‘attractive’ from a distance.”
It was bittersweet to discover this particular elephant, who was oblivious to the fact that she is so vulnerable because of po.a.ch.ers in the region due to her enormous tusks.
“At several points, while she was feeding, we could hear the tusks rattle against the grass underneath her trunk — a sound which was so distinct that it’s difficult to convey. ”
“We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have spent a significant amount of time with this kind giant because there are only 25 of these super tuskers left in the wild.”
