World Elephant Day 2025 Marks New Chapter for Celebrated Wildlife Photographer and Conservationist

This year’s World Elephant Day brings both celebration and anticipation for one of Africa’s most iconic and majestic species. Elephants, the gentle giants of the continent, are not only symbols of natural grandeur but also the focus of urgent conservation efforts.

Leading the charge is Dr. Johan Marais — veterinarian, conservationist, and acclaimed wildlife photographer — whose decades of work in the field have combined medical expertise with a rare artistic eye. For years, Dr. Marais has been dedicated to both protecting elephants from threats and capturing their beauty through powerful imagery.

On this special day, Dr. Marais announced the forthcoming release of his third book, The 100 Pounder Bulls of Africa. Scheduled for early 2026, the work will showcase extraordinary elephant bulls whose tusks each weigh over 100 pounds. Many of the images to be included have never been made public before.

The new volume follows his two highly successful titles, Great Tuskers of Africa and In Search of Africa’s Great Tuskers, both of which sold out and have become treasured references among wildlife enthusiasts.

Dr. Marais began photographing Africa’s great tuskers in 1995, developing a visual archive that is as scientifically valuable as it is artistically compelling. His work documents not just the size and beauty of these animals, but also their resilience in the face of shrinking habitats and poaching pressures.

“The photographs tell the story of survival,” Dr. Marais said. “Each image is a reminder of what is at stake if we fail to protect them.”

His announcement comes under the banner of Saving the Survivors, an organization dedicated to ensuring that these elephants — and countless other threatened species — continue to roam free for generations to come.

World Elephant Day serves as a timely reminder of the global responsibility to preserve Africa’s wilderness. For Dr. Marais, the upcoming book is both a celebration of the animals he has spent decades tracking and an urgent call for their protection.

As the conservation community reflects on achievements and challenges, the promise of The 100 Pounder Bulls of Africa offers a renewed sense of purpose: to admire these giants not just in photographs, but in the wild, where they belong.