Tusko
Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) at
Portland Zoo (Metro Washington Park Zoo) in United States

Biography

☨ ♂ Tusko
Sobik in Sanford Zoo, with trainer Gary Hill.

Alternative name:	Sobik

Identification

SSP nr	270

Description
Species:	Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)
Sex and age:	Male ♂ 44 years old

People killed:	1
Origin
Born:	* 1971 wild
Birth place:	in Asia unspecified location
Death
Dead:	†2015-12-22
Death reason:	euthanised: foot problemss and Elephant Elephant TB (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) (Mycobacterium tuberculosis)
Offspring
Total: 6 babies

1. Born 1993-05-02	♂ Nikolai EEP id: 9310 SSP id: 346

2. Born 1994-02-27	♀ Natasha SSP id: 356

3. Born 2005-05-12	♂ Tucker SSP id: 632

4. Born 2006-12-12 (dead † 2010-06-22)	♂ JP SSP id: 647

5. Born 2008-08-23	♂ Sam (Samudra) SSP id: 649

6. Born 2012-11-30 (dead † 2018-11-29)	♀ Lily SSP id: 743
Locations - owners
Present / last location:	Portland Zoo (Metro Washington Park Zoo), in United States

Date of arrival

2005-06-20	Portland Zoo (Metro Washington Park Zoo) from Have Trunk Will Travel (Gary and Kari Johnson)

2003-02-01	Have Trunk Will Travel (Gary and Kari Johnson) from Fresno Chaffee Zoological Gardens

1995-04-17	Fresno Chaffee Zoological Gardens from Have Trunk Will Travel (Gary and Kari Johnson)

1992-10-13	Have Trunk Will Travel (Gary and Kari Johnson) from African Lion Safari (Ontario)

1987-02-02	African Lion Safari (Ontario) from Rex Williams

1982-00-00	Rex Williams 1982-00-00 from Circus Vargas

1979-00-00	Circus Vargas from Rex Williams

1978-00-00	Rex Williams from Sanford Central Florida Zoological Park

Record history
History of updates	2009-02-01:Text 2016-01-10: TB 2016-01-10: death records 2017-03-09: Buckles blog 2017-03-09: Elephant news articles 2017-03-09: link to ele-wiki submitted 2017-03-09: link to Elefanten-Fotolexikon (Petra Prager) submitted 2022-04-14: Born in Asia

Latest document update	2022-04-14 06:08:56

† Tusko is a dead Male ♂ Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), , who died 2015-12-22 at Portland Zoo (Metro Washington Park Zoo), in United States, . Official death reason described as foot problemss and Elephant Elephant TB (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) (Mycobacterium tuberculosis).

Offspring

Total: 6 babies

(M) 1993-05-02 Nikolai EEP id: 9310 SSP id: 346
(F) 1994-02-27 Natasha SSP id: 356
(M) 2005-05-12 Tucker SSP id: 632
(M) 2006-12-12 -- † 2010-06-22 JP SSP id: 647
(M) 2008-08-23 Sam (Samudra) SSP id: 649
(F) 2012-11-30 -- † 2018-11-29 Lily SSP id: 743

Origin

Tusko was born wild 1971 at Asia unspecified location.

Comments / pictures

Tusko endured two surgeries in six weeks to alleviate an untreatable infection in his left tusk. Between February and March 2007 a ten-inch chunk of tusk and dentin was removed the Skull of the 13,500-pound Asian elephant.

"In 1981 when I was on Circus Vargas with Rex and Tusko, I remember Tusko being pretty distinctive looking. Short and chunky, with a big square looking head, short thick Tusks. " //Wade Burck

Records about Tusko from William "Buckles" Woodcocks Blog at http://www.bucklesw.blogspot.com/
When I left the Blue Show, I went back to Fla and had the opportunity to work with him at the Sanford Zoo. He was beating everyone up at the zoo. They had him in a pen with a hippo, no wonder he was pissed off! Buckles originally broke him at CW in 74 or 75? He was fat and lazy and no one there had a clue how to get around him. He was chained on a long run where he could get shade and water and they just through the feed over the fence, then while he ate they quickly cleaned up until he would chase them out.
Gary Hill

2014: tested positive for Tuberculosis.

Tusko on elephant-news.com

Tusko is mentioned on Elephant News:

Articles where Tusko is mentioned on elephant-news.com
Date	Links which opens in new window

Tusko on Buckles Blog Blog articles where Tusko is mentioned on http://bucklesw.blogspot.se
(Link opens in new window)

Buckles Blog: From Wayne Jackson

Buckles Blog: "Sobik" (From Gary Hill)

Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2026). Tusko, Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) located at Portland Zoo (Metro Washington Park Zoo) in United States. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 10 April 2026 at https://www.elephant.se/database2.php?elephant_id=450. (archived at the Wayback machine)