Tolstoy

This is Tolstoy; one of the very few tuskers left in Africa. Tolstoy is a very old, big and powerful bull which has brought him to the top of the male elephant hierarchy in Kenya! He was photographed by Jeremy Goss from Big Life Foundation in the Kimana Sanctuary, a narrow piece of protected community land that provides elephants and other animals with water and safe passage as they travel east from Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya.

Bulls like Tolstoy share their rich life experiences with other elephants. They are the mentors of the younger bulls and intervene in any unusual or anti-social behaviours. Because of their large tusks, elephants like Tolstoy are a top target of poachers. Fortunately, trophy hunters are not allowed to kill them in Kenya, but poachers who also target the tusks don’t obey the law. Elsewhere in Africa, poaching and trophy hunting have, over time, eliminated tuskers like Tolstoy from the gene pool and thus caused the extinction of these magical giants.

The Big Life Foundation, with the support of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, took over the management of the Kimana Sanctuary. Because of their great work, the Big Life Foundation managed to ensure that not a single elephant fell victim to poachers in 2019 in an area of ​​1.6 million hectares.

We donate 15% of the profits of each bottle to our partner foundations, thereby supporting your valuable work in the fight against poachers and for the preservation of this unique species.

You can find out more about our foundations and how we support the valuable work of our partner foundations here.

* Tuskers are particularly large, old and powerful elephants. What is particularly striking about a Tusker is its huge tusks. Each of these weighs at least 55 kilos.