This Doodle pays tribute to Ahmed, the enormous tusked elephant who was the first in Kenya to get presidential decree protection.
Ahmed the elephant’s early life is unknown, but in the 1960s, he became well-known when hikers saw him in the mountains of Northern Kenya. Spotters reported Ahmed, also known as “The King Of Marsabit,” had tusks so big they scraped the ground. The story spread throughout Kenya.
Ahmed was the focus of numerous television shows in 1970, such as an ABC series and a documentary. Schoolchildren began to fight for Ahmed’s protection from poachers as a result of his ascent in pop culture. Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, the country’s first president, put Ahmed under his protection by presidential decree after they wrote him a letter.
To protect his life, two security officers kept a night eye on him. Kenya honoured Ahmed’s legacy upon his death at the age of 55 from natural causes. At the Nairobi National Museum, President Kenyatta gave taxidermists instructions on how to conserve Ahmed for upcoming generations. He is still visible there now.
