“The Old Man and the Mountain”
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Wildlife photographer, scientist, and world record seeker George Dian Balan has long been fascinated by big tusked elephants. These “big tuskers” have tusks so large that they reach the ground, but are exceedingly difficult to find in nature.
The big tuskers hearken back to the woolly mammoths of epochs past, seeming to come from another time. Through his award-winning wildlife photography and extensive database of Asian and African big tusked elephants, Dian is doing his part to bring attention to these incredible animals.
After publishing his book, The World As It Once Was, Dian has continued his quest to catalog these elephants, but living and dead. This has brought him to discover not one, but two World Records. This includes the record-breaking 3.26-meter-long (about 10.7-feet-long) tusks on display at the Riga Zoo. Thanks to his diligent work, the scientific community has more knowledge about the big tuskers and this, hopefully, will push forward more conservation efforts.
We had the opportunity to speak with Dian about his work and what drives his passion for these “big tuskers.” Read on for My Modern Met’s exclusive interview and to learn more about his work, you can follow George Dian Balan on Instagram.
“Quintessential Millionaire”
Where does your love of animals stem from?
I’ve been fascinated with wildlife ever since I can remember myself.
When I was a very young kid my parents and grandparents bought me hundreds of books in various fields and languages, from history and art to science. The ones that I cherished the most were the wildlife books, so they bought me more of those. My family wanted me to learn foreign languages and to keep me busy reading books.
“The River of Giants”
“Asian Jade Reflections”
What is it about elephants specifically that fascinates you?
I am in love with megafauna, and especially megaherbivores such as big tusked elephants, big horned rhinos, and big antlered giant moose. There is something primeval to them, they are so similar to woolly mammoths, woolly rhinos, and Ice Age giant deer, as they sport tusks, horns, and antlers of pretty much the same size as their Ice Age cousins! Being in the commanding presence of these giants of today feels for me like traveling back in time.
“Great Tusker Coconut Mandala”
“The Time of Mammoths is Now”
When did your relationship with photography begin, and how has it allowed you to further your interest in animals?
Photography can be a very powerful tool. It motivates me.
While about 20 years ago I was a clumsy photographer, I have been receiving awards for wildlife photography for 17 years. The last 10 years have been dedicated to the intensive study and photography of megafauna, with an emphasis on big tusked elephants.
“World Record Raja Reflections”
“World Record Raja Reflections”
Can you share the story of how you found the World Record-breaking Asian elephant tusks?
I have the biggest database in the world regarding big tusked Asian and African elephants.
One of the elephants who fascinated me the most was Raja the Great, featured in my book The World As It Once Was on page 260. He was from the tall, robustly built, high-domed, big-tusked genetic line of Asian elephants—the rarest and most impressive of their species. He passed away in 2013.
I first wrote to the Riga Zoo in 2018 and asked about Raja’s tusks and body measurements, as well as for access to personally measure his preserved skull and tusks. While I received partial measurements, I was not granted the permission to personally examine the specimen.
After a change in the management of the Riga Zoo, I re-submitted my request in 2022. It received a favorable answer, so I traveled and took comprehensive in-situ measurements of the skull and the tusks. On that occasion, I noted that the tusk measurements received in 2018 were erroneous, as they only concerned the part of the tusks outside of the huge skull (2.61 meters [8.56 feet] and 1.49 meters [4.89 feet], respectively). By examining cracks in the alveoli, I noticed that the tusks are in their anatomical position, and not only slightly inserted in the sockets, like in the case of most mammoths displayed in natural history museums.
Therefore, I could already note that the left tusk is the new all-time world record by length and I asked for permission to take the tusk out of the skull and properly measure it. The request was promptly granted and together with the team from the Riga Zoo I celebrated my birthday in 2023 by properly measuring this impressive tusk.
Raja’s left tusk is 3.26 meters [10.7 feet] on the outer curvature and it’s the new all-time world record Asian elephant tusk by length, surpassing the former record, a tusk measuring 3.01 meters [9.88 feet], belonging to the Royal Thai elephant Chao Phraya Prapubkarn (which I also measured).
Half a year after this discovery, I went on a trip to India to examine some of the biggest tusked Asian elephants alive, held captive in various locations in Kerala. Amongst them is the magnificent Manissery Rajendran. His left tusk has a staggering circumference of 58 centimeters [22.83 inches] at the lip. This is the second new World Record that I discovered. For more than 100 years, the greatest recorded circumference was 56 centimeters, the Rowland Ward World Record Asian elephant tusk (by weight), which belonged to King George VI and was presented to him in 1911 by the Prime Minister of Nepal.
“58 cm World Record”
“Dusting Mammoth”
How does it feel to know you have a direct hand in preserving this sort of history?
My work in preserving these monuments of natural history has several dimensions.
First, visually documenting these giants as it has not been done before.
Second, creating the most extensive database of its kind in the world. It also comprises 3D scans of the top 10 biggest Asian elephant skulls, a project on which I work with a distinguished international team.
Third, I am helping create a genetic database with DNA samples from Asian big tuskers, both alive and who have already passed away. I am working on this project with Colossal, an initiative by Professor George Church from the Harvard genetics lab. By taking DNA samples and breaking the big ivory codes, it is hoped to create a genetic reserve for Asian large ivory carriers. This may also help gather the last pieces in the genetic puzzle of a cold-adapted elephant, a hybrid between Asian elephants and woolly mammoths, which could benefit from vast Arctic spaces in sparsely populated areas.
Fourth, I hope to help create new sanctuaries and protected areas where big tuskers could live and reproduce.
Finally, one day I would love to see my vision reflected in a museum designed by myself, which should also play an active role in saving the big tuskers that are still alive.
“Pecking Order 2”
“Window Into Africa”
What’s the biggest issue right now for big tusked elephants and what can we do to help them?
The major challenge faced by African and Asian elephants today is the loss of genetic diversity by the elimination of big tuskers. In fact, only about 40 confirmed big tuskers are left from each species, with perhaps a hundred or so more possibly emerging.
Did you know that the longer the tusks, the healthier the elephant? By analyzing elephant dung in Southern India, Professor Raman Sukumar noted that bull elephants with longer tusks had fewer parasites (nematodes). These observations are confirmed by studies in other species where males possess secondary sexual traits such as long horns and antlers or dark manes.
Therefore, the biggest threats to big tuskers right now are trophy hunting (mostly for the Africans), isolation in captivity without reproductive
“Sketching a Mammoth”
“Mammoth Sunset”
What do you hope that people take away from your work?
Jacques -Yves Cousteau used to say, “People protect what they love.” I want to make people first aware of the existence of the big tuskers and then fall in love with these giants.
My portfolio of big tusked elephant images comprises more than 30 different images awarded in photography competitions around the world, usually multiple times. This is far more than any other photographer. I innovate a lot, offering fresh perspectives on new characters, and use all possible photographing techniques, including a plethora of remote and camera trap technologies. For instance, I am the first to photograph big tusked elephants from inside a baobab tree.
“Pecking Order”
What’s next for you?
I have financed my megafauna-related research and photography by having other jobs. I spent a lot of money on my trips and helping local communities. I would love to make it self-financing, to be able to go full-time on researching and photographing megafauna, helping more local communities, creating at least one sanctuary and materializing a megafauna museum reflecting my vision. I hope to sell limited-edition fine art prints and books to help me in these endeavors. The award winning book The World As It Once Was can be ordered on Amazon and in various other places, and prints directly from me.