January 2, 2026, 7:55 am | Read time: 3 minutes
This question might even make die-hard “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” fans pause for a moment:”A so-called Big Tusker is a…?”
The question was posed during the 3-Million-Euro Week, a special edition of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” on January 8, 2026, featuring only teachers in the hot seat. For contestant Johannes Vorspohl, it was a chance to win a hefty 64,000 euros–but this is where it got tricky.
Vorspohl had nearly exhausted his lifelines by then. Only the phone-a-friend option remained, but it was of no help. The question went unanswered–and the 64,000 euros remained out of reach.
The options were:
A: Tractor with XXL tires
B: Elephant with XXL tusks
C: Computer with XXL memory
D: Hoodie with XXL hood
Attentive PETBOOK readers would have internally shouted “B!” by now, as we had already revealed it was an animal-related question. But what exactly is behind the term Big Tusker?
Big Tusker–a term with a sad origin
Big Tuskers or Super-Tuskers are African elephant bulls whose tusks each weigh 50 kilograms or more–so long that they sometimes reach the ground. They are majestic exceptions of evolution, living natural monuments.
Today, there are only a maximum of 25 left worldwide. Most of them roam the border area between Kenya’s Amboseli National Park and West Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
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The hunt for the last giants
As Pro Wildlife reports, these last Super-Tuskers are massively threatened–not by natural predators, but by humans with hunting licenses.
Within just eight months, five Super-Tuskers were shot. Not by poachers, but as part of legal trophy hunting in Tanzania. While Kenya has banned elephant hunting for decades, Tanzania allows up to 50 elephants to be killed by foreign hunters each year. Particularly concerning: According to Pro Wildlife, the affected animals come from the Amboseli population, which has been protected and studied for over 50 years and is one of the most important elephant populations in the world.
Why old elephants are so important
Large, old bulls are not just impressive–they are crucial for the social structure. Studies in Amboseli National Park have shown that bulls over 35 years old are responsible for a significant portion of offspring and help stabilize social structures.
A large-scale study in 2024 further revealed that we are only beginning to understand the role of old animals in species conservation (PETBOOK reported). It found that females prefer to mate with older bulls, as they signal higher genetic quality and social competence. Consequently, they often take on leading and guiding roles within the population.
These experienced animals act as social anchors. They reduce aggressive behavior, which would be more common among younger, less experienced males. Their decisions promote group cohesion, social exchange–and thus the survival chances of the offspring. If the oldest and most experienced animals are missing, the remaining population becomes more unstable, aggressive, and less viable in the long term. This scenario currently threatens the last Big Tuskers and, consequently, all elephants in Africa.