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A Close Look at Kenya’s Tusk

September 8, 2025

It’s easy to tell the difference between Pupy and Kenya, since Pupy has two tusks and Kenya only has one that is visible. But you may not notice, because it’s not immediately obvious, that Kenya’s right tusk actually grows improperly. As Scott shows in this video, it appears that at some point her tusk may have broken off and the jagged edges of the damaged end likely grew through the side of her trunk. 

After some research, someone shared with us a video that shows that Kenya had a short left tusk over a decade ago, but we don’t have any further information as to what may have happened to it. The skin around the new growth of her right tusk healed long ago. At Mendoza she had infections in that area but, because we know little about her history, we’re unsure of when the assumed break occurred; we were told she had repeated infections up until one of the first visits a GSE trainer made to help with the Mendoza elephants. Kenya is very cooperative when it comes to letting people look at her tusk. We hope she doesn’t have any future issues, but as she gets more comfortable with having exams, we’ll investigate the left sulcus further to see if there are any remnants of a tusk that remain.

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Comments(11)

  1. REPLY
    Jane Whitfield says
    September 8, 2025 at 2:21 pm

    Poor girlie , that must have been immensely painful for a long time . Never mind the trauma of the original tusk break .

  2. REPLY
    Susan martin says
    September 8, 2025 at 3:16 pm

    OUCH…poor Kenya 😢

  3. REPLY
    Ada says
    September 8, 2025 at 3:18 pm

    As long as she’s not in pain🥺…Hopefully, she won’t experience anymore infection. Glad she’s with you now ‘cause she is for sure very well taken cared off🥰

  4. REPLY
    Julie says
    September 8, 2025 at 5:11 pm

    Kenya is getting the highest level of care possible at GSE. Thank you so much!

  5. REPLY
    Ann-Marie says
    September 8, 2025 at 5:26 pm

    Thank you for your love and care 💕

  6. REPLY
    Beci says
    September 8, 2025 at 6:28 pm

    What you didn’t say, kind of left us hanging, is did and does it hurt? Can it be removed and the hole closed up, or is it fine the way it is even if it gets bigger? Poor thing obviously nobody at that other place had a clue or cared enough to try and re-direct it when it was first happening, so sad hopefully she isn’t in pain. I guess if she was she would let you know when you touched that area. Ty for taking such good care of all of them.

    • REPLY
      Sara says
      September 8, 2025 at 6:32 pm

      It seems like it would have been a painful thing when it happened and as it grew out. As you can see in the video, she doesn’t appear to be bothered by Scott touching all around it and none of her behaviors suggest that she’s experiencing discomfort. Of course, we’ll watch for any potential infections or other issues that might arise. Right now, it’s not impacting her in a way that would inhibit what she can do with her trunk. Nothing points toward a need for further intervention at this point.

  7. REPLY
    Sharon Klesse says
    September 8, 2025 at 7:36 pm

    It is so sad to see she wasn’t properly cared for. Heartbreaking but grateful you’re caring for her now and she’s in her happy place enjoying herself.

  8. REPLY
    Jeanine says
    September 8, 2025 at 8:20 pm

    Poor girl. I hope she doesn’t feel pain from that.❤️

  9. REPLY
    Alida says
    September 8, 2025 at 8:55 pm

    Another reason why I’m so glad Kenya is out of that zoo and with you at Sanctuary, obviously she didn’t receive any proper care in the past, breaks my heart. Love you gorgeous girl ❤️🐘❤️

  10. REPLY
    Johnny says
    September 9, 2025 at 8:09 am

    It’s obvious she is very calm and relaxed (also possibly very tired) around Scott and Kat and has developed a high level of trust with them already.

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