Tshokwane

One of the great tuskers of the Kruger National Park Tshokwane is remembered well for both his distinguished tusks and his fiery response to too-close human contact. This bull’s name derived from the Tshokwane Picnic site, where he once roamed about.

This magnificent animal was almost tracked down and shot by rangers after he almost killed renowned photographer Daryl Balfour, in a charge. Tshokwane’s life was saved when it was determined that his charge was in response to human interference and not out of a malicious nature.

A distinctive notch in his right ear and an extraordinary right master tusk singled this great bull out from the rest, until he was spotted sporting the shortened remains of broken tusks, which had been fragmented on different occasions. In 1998, Tshokwane came off second best in a pitiless bull fight that fatally wounded his body, causing a sad and painful end to the life of this great Kruger tusker.

The photo to the right is the last photograph taken by Daryl when Tshokwane charged and trampled him underfoot while he was photographing the animal. Daryl was extremely lucky to survive the attack.

Text: Chloe Cooper & South African National Parks
Photo copyright: South African National Parks