Satao, One Of The World’s Largest Elephants Has Been Killed By Poachers

Over the course of the past few weeks, The Inquistr has been reporting about the increased activity of elephant poachers in Africa. In an earlier report, we had said that poachers had managed to kill over 68 elephants in the course of the past two months. That report also had a mention about one particular elephant named Satao. For those who do not know, Satao was one of the biggest elephants living on the planet today. He also was the owner of two magnificent tusks so huge, they touched the ground — and could be even seen clearly from the air.

Unfortunately, his massive tusks made him a prime target of poachers who were on his trail for years. In the end, the poachers won. Satao was brutally killed by poachers late last month — his magnificent tusks cruelly sawed out of his body, reports CNN. The carcass of the beloved 45-year-old elephant was discovered by officials from Kenya’s Tsavo National Park in the country’s southeast. Satao’s death comes closely on the heels of the death of another great African elephant, “Mountain Bull.”

Photos of Satao’s mutilated body are included below. They are extremely graphic, so please proceed with caution.

Initially, it was difficult for the authorities to determine whether the dead elephant was indeed Satao because the poachers had mutilated his body. Then authorities checked the shape of his ears and the pattern of mud cakes on the back of the carcass. The authorities say that since the finding of the carcass, they have not managed to spot Satao – thereby confirming that the carcass was indeed of Satao.

According to a statement by the The Tsavo Trust, an organization set up to track elephants, the elephant was speared to death using poison tipped weapons. It is clear that Satao died a quick but painful death. The tusks were probably sawed off from his body while he was dying. Satao was an experienced and an intelligent elephant who seemed to know that he should stay away from poachers. In the past, he was observed to have roamed an area that was not frequented by poachers. He also took pains to hide his massive tusks in foliage so he couldn’t be detected easily. Recently though, he had moved to an area of the park that had some poaching activity. This was due to the recent rain fall in the region that resulted in the area having grown lots of grass.

In a painfully worded statement, the Tsavo trust says:

“With great sadness, we report the death of Satao, one of Tsavo’s most iconic and well-loved tuskers. This magnificent elephant was widely known in Tsavo East National Park, where he was observed with awe by many thousands of Tsavo’s visitors over the years. No longer will Tsavo and Kenya benefit from his mighty presence. Satao was shot dead by poisoned arrow on 30th May 2014.Today it is with enormous regret that we confirm there is no doubt that Satao is dead, killed by an ivory poacher’s poisoned arrow to feed the seemingly insatiable demand for ivory in far off countries. A great life lost so that someone far away can have a trinket on their mantelpiece.”

It is really sad that such graceful, rare animals are falling prey to human greed. RIP, Satao.

[Image via Tsavo Trust]