Love at First Tusk

When asked why I spend so much time in Kenya, my answer surprises people: I married an elephant family. This often brings curiosity, confusion, and laughter — and, in many ways, I did.

My husband, Bob Poole, and his sisters, Joyce and Virginia, grew up immersed in Kenya’s wildlife. Their father was the director of the African Wildlife Leadership Foundation. Joyce became a leading authority on African elephant behaviour, and Bob, whose career began as a teenager working with National Geographic, made his first Nat Geo film, Coming of Age with Elephants, about Joyce and her memoir.

Before we married, I’d travelled extensively but never to Africa. On my first trip to Kenya more than two decades ago, we went to Amboseli National Park, where Joyce researched male elephants and discovered musth —  when males experience a surge of testosterone and become highly aggressive.

Seeing a bull elephant for the first time was life-changing. These creatures are more than majestic; they embody an ancient wisdom that touches something deep within you.

Kenya remains at the heart of our work. Our dream to tell the story of male elephants brought us to Kimana Sanctuary, a vital corridor linking Amboseli, Chyulu and Tsavo National Parks. With the blessings of Angama co-founder Nicky Fitzgerald, Richard Bonham, and Craig Millar of Big Life Foundation, we stayed at Kimana House for a month.

Each morning before sunrise, we loaded our Land Rover, a retrofitted filming rig, with camera mounts and a 20-foot jib for remarkable angles. Our goal was to film the males in their bull areas, where they gather with other males and prepare to enter musth. We weren’t disappointed. Bulls arrived in numbers, groups of varying ages, including some magnificent Super Tuskers.

Kimana Sanctuary represents a conservation model that is a win-win, whereby local Maasai landowners benefit from tourism while the land remains protected for wildlife. This was evident from day one, when Big Life Ranger Daniel Kutata joined our team for the entire shoot. Daniel shared stories of Maasai culture, the Sanctuary’s remarkable biodiversity, and the work that Big Life Rangers do every day to protect wildlife and people.

Staying in one place for five weeks changes your perspective. The team at Angama added another dimension to the experience. From room stewards to vehicle technicians, everyone we met was part of a larger story — one of community, resilience, and pride in their work.

To immerse oneself in nature so completely is one of life’s great gifts. As our planet faces increasing pressure, it is important to cherish these experiences while nurturing the wild spaces that remain, ensuring future generations can experience the same sense of wonder. Kenya, with its extraordinary landscapes and wildlife, holds a piece of my heart. Perhaps it will hold yours, too.

Our latest film, Nature: Tusker — Brotherhood of Elephants, was filmed against the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro and follows the lives of Africa’s remarkable 'Super tuskers' — rare male elephants whose tusks each weigh more than 100 pounds. Fewer than 30 remain in Kenya today. The story centres on three bulls — Craig, Pascal and Esau — each at a different stage of life, as they navigate the challenges of age, dominance and survival in a changing landscape.

The film offers a rare glimpse into the world of male elephants — from the intensity of musth to the surprising bonds that form between old companions. Across the plains of Amboseli and the surrounding ecosystem, these bulls must balance independence with the enduring friendships that shape their lives.

To watch Nature: Tusker — Brotherhood of Elephants, head over to stream on PBS Passport, Roku and Prime.

Nature: Tusker — Brotherhood of Elephants was written and produced by Allison Argo, co-produced and filmed by Bob Poole and Gina Poole, with additional cinematography by Thomas Stafford.