{"id":1806957,"date":"2026-03-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1806957"},"modified":"2026-03-04T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:00:00","slug":"johan-siggessons-striking-portraits-of-big-tuskers-in-kenya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1806957","title":{"rendered":"Johan Siggesson\u2019s Striking Portraits of \u2018Big Tuskers\u2019 in Kenya"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-fe9cc265 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cCraig III\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Johan Siggesson\u2019s Striking Portraits of \u2018Big Tuskers\u2019 in Kenya<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-04T11:50:40-06:00\">March 4, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-nature\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/nature\/\" rel=\"tag\">Nature<\/a><a class=\"category-photography\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/photography\/\" rel=\"tag\">Photography<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/kmothes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Kate Mothes<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F03%2Fjohan-siggesson-big-tuskers-elephants-kenya-photos%2F&amp;title=Johan%20Siggesson%27s%20Striking%20Portraits%20of%20%26%238216%3BBig%20Tuskers%27%20in%20Kenya\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tShare\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d\" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#506f2325323a3533246d1a3f38313e756260033937373523233f3e75626723756260032422393b393e37756260003f222422313924237562603f36756260756266756263686261667563121239377562600425233b352223756267756260393e7562601b353e293176313d206b323f34296d1a3f38313e756260033937373523233f3e75626723756260032422393b393e37756260003f222422313924237562603f36756260756266756263686261667563121239377562600425233b352223756267756260393e7562601b353e293175626075156275686075696475626038242420237563117562167562162727277e243839233923333f3c3f2323313c7e333f3d7562166260626675621660637562163a3f38313e7d233937373523233f3e7d3239377d2425233b3522237d353c352038313e24237d3b353e29317d20383f243f23756216\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-label \"><br \/>\n\t\t\tEmail\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"470695\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Among African elephants, \u201cBig Tuskers\u201d refers to bulls that grow tusks so long they sometimes scrape the ground. Each one can weigh well over 100 pounds. These giant, ivory incisors continually grow throughout an elephant\u2019s life, and males typically have much larger tusks than females.<\/p>\n<p>The bigger the tusks, however, the more vulnerable these gentle giants are to poachers who harvest and traffic the ivory for trade. There are only <a href=\"https:\/\/tsavotrust.org\/big-tusker-project\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a couple dozen left<\/a> in nature preserves like Kenya\u2019s Tsavo East National Park and Amboseli National Park.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-7.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470695\" title=\"\u201cTogether Forever\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cTogether Forever\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cTogether Forever\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-7.jpg\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo by Johan Siggesson of a baby elephant walking beside its mother\" class=\"wp-image-470702\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cTogether Forever\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For wilderness photographer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.johansiggesson.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Johan Siggesson<\/a>, a fascination with animals and their habitats led to a series of striking black-and-white photographs of elephants and their herds in Kenya. From charming juveniles to big tuskers like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifaw.org\/ca-en\/journal\/rembembering-craig-iconic-super-tusker-symbol-elephant-conservation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Craig<\/a> (1972-2026) and emerging contenders like the 35-year-old Michael, Siggesson captures the incredible anatomy, habitat, and behavior of these endangered megafauna.<\/p>\n<p>Prints are available for purchase on Siggesson\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.johansiggesson.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a>. Explore more of his work on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/johan_siggesson_photo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470695\" title=\"\u201cFace to Face\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cFace to Face\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cFace to Face\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1334\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-6.jpg\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo by Johan Siggesson of a straight-on portrait of a big tusker elephant\" class=\"wp-image-470701\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cFace to Face\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-9.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470695\" title=\"\u201cMichael\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cMichael\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cMichael\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-9.jpg\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo by Johan Siggesson of a big tusker elephant\" class=\"wp-image-470704\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cMichael\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-8.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470695\" title=\"\u201cHot Pursuit\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cHot Pursuit\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cHot Pursuit\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-8.jpg\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo by Johan Siggesson of a family of elephants moving through a Kenyan landscape\" class=\"wp-image-470703\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cHot Pursuit\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-5.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470695\" title=\"\u201cCraig &amp; Tree\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cCraig &amp; Tree\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cCraig &amp; Tree\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-5.jpg\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo by Johan Siggesson of a big tusker elephant named Craig near a tree, beneath a cloudy sky\" class=\"wp-image-470700\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cCraig &amp; Tree\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470695\" title=\"\u201cAt the Foot of the Mountain\u201d\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cAt the Foot of the Mountain\u201d\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cAt the Foot of the Mountain\u201d\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-3.jpg\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo by Johan Siggesson of a herd of elephants walking through a Kenyan landscape\" class=\"wp-image-470698\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cAt the Foot of the Mountain\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-2.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-470695\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/siggesson-2.jpg\" alt=\"A black-and-white photo by Johan Siggesson of a big tusker elephant\" class=\"wp-image-470697\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"after-entry\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"After Entry\">\n<section id=\"block-16\" class=\"widget widget_block widget_text\">\n<p><mark style=\"background-color:#88caf0\" class=\"has-inline-color\"><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong><\/mark> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"block-17\" class=\"widget widget_block\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top member-benefits is-layout-flow 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Each one can weigh well over 100 pounds. These giant, ivory incisors continually grow throughout an elephant\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-1806957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1806957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1806957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1806957\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1806957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1806957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1806957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}