KWS Officers Relocate Heaviest Elephant in Kenya’s History

There was a historic moment in the Solio area, Nyeri county as the heaviest elephant ever recorded in Kenya was captured by Kenya Wildlife Service officers.

The elephant, which weighed a massive over 10,000 kg (10 tonnes), was spotted during a recent translocation of the beasts from the Solio area.

In a statement, the KWS revealed the sheer weight of the elephant posed a challenge to rangers from the Vet and Capture Unit, who had to devise a unique way to ferry the animal.

“After nearly seven decades, the heaviest elephant in Kenya’s history, weighing over 10,000 kg (10 tonnes), was recorded during the recently concluded elephant translocation from the Solio area,” the KWS announced.

According to KWS, the elephant was so massive, it took the effort of two cranes to safely relocate the jumbo to the Aberdare ecosystem.

Dig Deeper: Adult elephants, being the largest land mammals on earth, typically weigh about 5400 kilograms (12,000 pounds). African elephants are larger than Asian elephants and can reach towering heights in excess of 10.5 feet (3.2 meters) at the shoulder.

The elephant’s large size evolved due to changing environments and evolutionary pressures, such as competition from other herbivores and the rise of larger predators. These factors drove the elephant to grow in size to reach higher vegetation and protect itself from predation.

To put to perspective the unique spectacle that was the 10-tonne elephant, the last time such a sight was witnessed was in 1956, when the largest recorded elephant named ‘the Giant of Angola’ roamed the earth. The beast stood 13 feet (3.96 meters) at the shoulder and weighed an astonishing 10,400 kilograms.

The mammoth creature was unfortunately hunted down, but its skin remains on display on the National History Museum in Washington.

KWS revealed the translocation of the elephant was part of the body’s larger effort to conserve the species, whose numbers are dwindling alarmingly. 

According to the Mara elephant project, the elephant population in Kenya stood at 167,000 in 1973. That number has been reduced to less than 40,000 elephants in 2021 amid growing human-wildlife conflict and elephant hunting from poachers who target the animal’s tusks for ivory. 

“This monumental effort underscores our ongoing commitment to conserving Kenya’s wildlife and protecting these magnificent species for future generations,” KWS added.