Manners Tusks Mystery Revisited
THE ARTICLE “Quest for Big Ivory” by Dr Henk Rall in Magnum’s February 2020 edition drew reader response pointing out errors both real and perceived. This previously unpublished photo of four extraordinary tusks has exposed a truth which I have kept secret for a quarter of a century, and did not wish to reveal for reasons that will become clear as I proceed. This photo became a Pandora’s Box, placing me in an invidious position – obliged to reveal information that will doubtless cause sadness and disappointment. It’s a long and complex story…
Dr Rall’s text and captions indicated the tusks were shot by the ‘German’ appearing centrally in the photo, the two sets weighing 240lbs and 220lbs a side. Reader Dries Gouws responded to say the bigger tusks were shot by Harry Manners who appears slightly behind and to the right of the ‘German’ (i.e. on the German’s left side), and these tusks now hang in the Maputo Museum in Mozambique. Dries is correct in that the man on the right is Harry Manners, so it is understandable that he believes these to be the famous Manners tusks – “the Monarch of Murripa” as Harry described the elephant in his book Kambaku. However, the tusks in the picture are not those of the Monarch of Murripa, though they are the tusks presently hanging in the Maputo Museum.
The tusks in the picture are not those of the “Monarch of Murripa”,
