It was a sad day at the Amboseli National Park on Tuesday, February 4 when one of the few remaining great “tusker” elephants passed away at the age of 50.
1. I am heartbroken
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) February 5, 2020
Tim, an icon of Africa, has died. Tim was the most famous elephant in Africa and one of the last big tuskers. There are fewer than 20 big tuskers left in all of Africa
Tim was 50. He leaves behind his uncle Tolstoy, his nephew Townsend, & his companion Craig pic.twitter.com/mfiTHuNnnQ
The body of Tim, an African elephant with long tusks, was sent to a taxidermist in Nairobi so that it can go on display.
Tim was well known and loved throughout the country.
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Not only one of the most affectionate elephants of the park, Tim was also the naughtiest.
![](https://wp.scoopwhoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/5e3bab6550758d4cadd4f9e4_bfbe3dbb-fea7-468a-9231-6de88edd2106.jpg)
Despite specially placing a collar to protect him from all possible threats, Tim almost died last year after getting stuck in a muddy swamp.
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Former Save the Elephants field assistant Ryan Wilkie remembered Tim and said:
Tim was a special elephant – not just to me but to hundreds, thousands of people who would flock to Amboseli just for the chance to see him. He was so incredibly intelligent, mischievous, yes, but also a truly gentle giant and in that way a real ambassador for his species.
![](https://wp.scoopwhoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/5e3bab6550758d4cadd4f9e4_20534840-4f9a-4794-a043-0d581b8cc06f.jpg)