A popular and well-known elephant with tusks that reached the ground has been killed for its ivory in Kenya.
Satao, believed to be one of the world's biggest pachyderms, lived at the Tsavo East National Park, where he was a favorite among visitors and rangers alike.
His mutilated body was found May 30, but park officials waited until necropsy results identified the remains before announcing his death.
Poachers had hacked off the “well-loved” animal’s face and sawed off its massive tusks, which weighed an estimated 100 pounds, The Tsavo Trust conservancy said Friday.
“A great life lost so that someone far away can have a trinket on their mantlepiece,” the group said on its website.
The mighty elephant, whose tusks reached the ground, died from a poisoned arrow that pierced its flank.
The Kenya Wildlife Service and the conservancy had been monitoring Satao, age 45, for the past 18 months.
But the park’s mammoth size and the persistency of poachers made it difficult to keep constant track of the elephant.
He was last seen May 19, in the company of four other bulls.
His huge tusks made him easy to see by air, the conservancy said.
“Rest in peace, old friend, you will be missed,” the website said.
