Tolstoy

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There are few elephants that can literally take your breath away when you see them but Tolstoy is one of them.  His magnificent tusks nearly touch the ground, and at 33 years old, he is far from his prime.  Tolstoy went independent when he was 13 years old and since then has spent most of his time with other young males in so-called bulls areas.  During this phase of a bull elephant’s life there is a massive growth spurt.  In their mid to late twenties the bulls start to come into musth, the period of increased sexual activity in an elephant’s sexual cycle.  At 33 years old Tolstoy will be coming into musth for 2 to 3 months a year and competing for females in estrous.  I have recently heard from the Amboseli team that Tolstoy broke one of his tusks in a fight with a relative of his, Tim.  Elephant’s tusks continue to grow throughout their long lives and there is a chance that his broken tusk will grow to the same length again.  On the other hand it may not and Tolstoy may never look like this again.