EleFact Friday: African Elephant Tusk Facts

Happy EleFact Friday. We’ve previously looked at the tushes that the female Asian elephants have, and today we’re going to dive a little further into the anatomy of the tusks of African elephants.

Tusks are anatomically composed similarly to teeth; they’re essentially just projecting incisors that are comparable to most mammalian teeth. Although tusks already appear to be long, one third of them are actually hidden from view and embedded in the head. This part of the tusk is made up of a pulp cavity containing tissue, blood, and nerves. Nerves also run partially down the length of the tusk. Just as humans can experience issues with our enamel, pulp cavities, or other parts of our teeth, elephants can encounter issues as well. African elephants can often “chip a tooth” going through their normal daily behaviors, especially in artificial environments where there is a lot of concrete and metal..

Occasionally, a tusk can break off closer to the root, which can cause infection if the pulp is exposed. It has been noted that, in some cases, if a tusk is not broken off at its root, it can continue to grow.

Kenya, the female African elephant currently living at Ecoparque Mendoza that we plan to bring to sanctuary in the future, has a tusk that grows inappropriately. Her right tusk grows through the side of her sulcus, the tissue cavity area around her tusk, instead of growing outward. This has been a long-term issue for her and has led to the park needing to address infections in the past. Pupy, as you know, has short tusks and much of the reason behind that is decades of wear from her surrounding environment. Now that she’s in a more natural environment, we may see a little bit of growth from them. Despite their size, elephant tusks (and tushes) are not indestructible, and require attention and care, especially after harm.

Comments(7)

Barbara L Smith says
May 2, 2025 at 2:28 pm

Thank you for this Friday’s Elefact. I imagine Pupy and Kenya’s tusks will improve, living a closer to natural life at GSE. Now they will receive attentive observations and treatments on their health issues.
Katherine says
May 2, 2025 at 5:05 pm

Let’s hope her tusks grow a bit more – now that she’s in a more natural environment
Carolyn Clarke says
May 3, 2025 at 11:56 am

If a tusk becomes severely infected is it possible and safe to sedate the elephant and remove the infected tusk, or are antibiotics the only route to go?
- REPLY
  Kat Blais says
  May 3, 2025 at 12:08 pm
  
  Sedation is dependent upon the health of the individual and age. If there is an infection of the tusk itself, they can perform something similar to a route canal. They cut the tusk back and cover up the exposed pulp. With what is going on with Kenya, it’s not the tusk that is infected, it is the skin around the tusk. So topical cleaning/treatment and sometimes antibiotics can be used.
Tammy says
May 6, 2025 at 9:08 am

Oh boy there’s nothing worse than a tooth ache especially for an elephant thankfully the girls have an environment where they can be monitored for any upcoming issues!
Brenda says
July 28, 2025 at 11:48 pm

I’m so proud of you folks. You have been giving of yourselves to help God’s beautiful majestic animals and that’s a blessing that will be remembered and shared as long as I have a connection to your website. I try to inform everyone I know of the hard and incredible work your sanctuary does in hopes of passing it forward. May God bless you and the elephants and other you help along your way.
Bette Tucker says
July 29, 2025 at 11:17 am

Thank you, thank you for your dedication to helping these elephants that have suffered many, many years. I also thank you for explaining the daily observances and process you go through in caring for each of them.

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