Wildlife authorities have confirmed Dida, Africa’s giant female elephant, died between 60 and 65 years old on Tuesday at a national park southeast of the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
According to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Dida, who was possibly Africa’s largest female Tusker and a matriarch residing in Tsavo East National Park, which is located in the Coast Province, died from natural causes,
“Dida was truly an iconic matriarch of Tsavo and a great repository of many decades’ worth of knowledge,” KWS said in a statement.
KWS also said, “Dida depastured her herdsmen through many seasons and challenging times and served as both the subject of various documentaries and an iconic tourist attraction.”
“Those who got to know her (Dida) through pictures and videos, as well as those who had the exquisite pleasure of meeting her in person, will remember her,” the KWS said.
According to the country’s first-ever wildlife census, released in 2021, there has been an increase in elephant populations in Kenya. The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife has observed through the census that the national elephant population has increased from 32,214 elephants in 2014 to 36,169 in 2021.
It is detecting a 12 percent population increase over seven years, which is a testimony to the productive anti-poaching efforts by the government and conservation partners.