Kenya loses legendary Masai Mara elephant Fred

Fred, an iconic elephant from the Masai Mara reserve in Kenya, has died of natural causes at approximately 55 years of age. He was a member of the rare ‘super tusker’ category, distinguished by exceptionally large tusks that weighed more than 45 kilograms each.

The Mara Elephant Project announced his death on October 26, noting that Fred’s long life allowed him to survive the height of the ivory poaching crisis. Since 2013, Fred had been monitored via a satellite collar in a collaborative scientific effort involving the Mara Elephant Project, the Kenya Wildlife Service, and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute. His movements provided critical data to aid in the conservation and protection of rare elephant populations in Africa.