Photo by beverlyjoubert / Any elephant alive in the wild today faces the ever-present threat of poaching—tens of thousands are killed for their ivory each year. But there is one clade among them that has always been especially vulnerable: the big tuskers. Bearers of genes that produce massive tusks reaching down to almost brush the ground, these iconic giants have been much-prized targets. Once common across the African continent, only a handful survive today. We are close to seeing the sun set on these legendary creatures … close to losing the extraordinary genes that could produce the next generation of giants. We know what we have to do to make sure this doesn’t happen. #elephants #elephantsofinstagram #bigtusker #thisismytrophy