Ahmed the Elephant was an African elephant born in 1919 in the forests of Kenya. He became famous for his tusks, which were the longest and heaviest ever recorded in Africa. Each of his tusks weighed more than 150 pounds.
Ahmed lived in Kenya's Marsabit National Reserve. He was declared a national treasure and remains the only elephant in history to be protected by presidential decree. In 1970, former President of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta, placed Ahmed under his protection by an exceptional presidential decree. Ahmed was spotted in the 1960s by hikers in the Northern Kenya mountains. He became known by the natives and big game hunters alike, as the "King of Marsabit". Ahmed's skeleton with the original tusks can be found in The Great Hall of Mammals inside the museum and a life-size model can be found in the courtyard of the main gallery building.