Google Doodle celebrates 'Ahmed', the elephant known for his big tusks
On 6th December, 2023, google displayed a doodle, which features illustrations of elephants and tourists, paying tribute to Ahmed's legacy and efforts to protect him from poachers.
What you need to know:
- An adult male tusk weigh between 50 and 79 kilos and an adult female's tusk weighs between 18 and 20 kilos.
- The doodle, which features illustrations of elephants and tourists, pays tribute to Ahmed's legacy and efforts to protect him from poachers.
The creative and artistic platform that Google uses to commemorate significant events and people dedicated its Wednesday doodle to a legendary Kenyan elephant named Ahmed.
Ahmed's story is a remarkable tale of a majestic elephant born in 1919 in the forests of Marsabit National Park in Kenya. The doodle, which features illustrations of elephants and tourists, pays tribute to Ahmed's legacy and efforts to protect him from poachers.
Ahmed became known for his impressive tusks, which were the longest and heaviest ever recorded in Africa. Each of his tusks weighed over 150 pounds.
He rose to prominence in the 1960s when hikers in the Northern Kenya mountains spotted him. His massive tusks, reported to scrape the ground, set him apart from other elephants and led to global recognition. Ahmed soon became known as “The King of Marsabit.”
He was so famous that the late President Jomo Kenyatta declared him a national treasure and ordered special protection and remains the only elephant in history to be protected by presidential decree.
He is one of the remarkable sights at the Nairobi National Museum, a life-size model, which is mounted outside the main building. Ahmed’s real skeleton and famous tusks are inside the museum in the Great Hall of Mammals.
Following his death at the age of 55, President Kenyatta called upon taxidermists to make arrangements to preserve Ahmed’s body for future generations at the Nairobi National Museum where his body has been meticulously preserved and saved and can be still found today.
A famous photo of him taken by legendary photographer Mo Amin showed a group of armed guards around him.
“Ahmed was still able to roam freely in Marsabit Park and got used to the presence of his guards,” reports Nomad Africa.
Ahmed died in 1974 and was found resting on his famous tusks, half-leaning against a tree.
He inspired a number of films, one of them being a series titled The American Sportsman, which aired on American Broadcasting Company.
The reach of this doodle spans various regions including Kenya, Iceland, Uruguay, Chile, Pakistan, France, Ireland United Kingdom, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany among other countries.
Google says, this global recognition underscores Ahmed’s impact on wildlife conservation and the collective efforts to protect endangered species.
