By Nyang’au Araka
In the vast, dust-gold plains of Amboseli, elephant Craig once walked with the admirable authority of a giant who knew he belonged.
Craig breathed his last, last week, aged 54.
Today, the country is saying goodbye and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has announced that it is preserving the iconic super tusker, through professional taxidermy.
The process is intended to ensure that one of Africa’s most recognisable elephants continues to inspire long after his passing.
Craig was born in January 1972 to the great matriarch Cassandra of the CB family, and grew into one of the last remaining super tuskers on the continent—an elite class of elephants whose tusks weigh more than 45 kilograms each.
As their numbers dwindled across Africa, Craig stood as a living reminder of what protection, patience, and sustained conservation can achieve.
To many who followed his life, Craig was known for his calm presence, his dignified movements, and a gentleness that made him instantly recognisable to rangers, researchers, and visitors alike.
Over the decades, he sired numerous calves, quietly securing a genetic legacy that will outlive him in Amboseli’s herds.
“Craig’s life exemplified the success of collective conservation efforts,” said KWS Director General Prof. Erustus Kanga.
“Through taxidermy preservation, we are ensuring that his legacy endures beyond his lifetime, offering future generations a tangible connection to Kenya’s rich wildlife heritage.”
According to KWS, the taxidermy process involves the careful preservation of Craig’s skin and physical features to create a lifelike mount that will serve educational, scientific, and public awareness purposes.
Once completed, the preserved mount will be housed at a designated facility, where Kenyans and visitors will be able to learn about Craig’s story and the broader fight to protect elephants.
For KWS, preserving Craig is about carrying its past forward.
In announcing the initiative, the agency invited the public to reflect on Craig’s life and the responsibility that comes with safeguarding Kenya’s wildlife.
In a time when elephants still face threats from poaching and shrinking habitats, Craig’s long life stood as proof that protection works—and that when conservation succeeds, giants can grow old in peace.
Online source indicate that Craig died after his last set of molar teeth wore out and he could no longer chew his food properly.
This affected his digestion and he died on January 2026 after the rough diet had ruptured his intestines.
Park rangers maintained a vigil over Craig, who is survived by his sister Cerise’s when he died.
Later, his tusks were taken into custody as government trophies by the KWS under the authority of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act.
Famed for his long tusks, Craig the elephant was a major attraction at the park near the Tanzanian border, as reported previously by the BBC.
In 2021, he was named an ambassador for the popular Kenyan lager brand Tusker – a name also used for adult male elephants with tusks.
KWS said Craig will continue to teach, to remind, and to inspire generations yet to come.