Not all elephants end up poached. Wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas has a blog post up concerning the last days of an elderly queen elephant, and they are very impressive. Rather than poaching those photos themselves, I’ll just recommend you visit his blog.
It may be sad that the queen has passed on since those photos were taken, but I’d prefer to think of it as the passing of a successful queen elephant, and as such a thing to be considered, oh, satisfying. There’s not really a word for the emotion in question.
As you view the photos, notice the signs of age, and think of how little we see such signs in wildlife photography. I found it moving.
