BIO
George Dian Balan is a wildlife photographer, scientist, and author specializing in exceptional individuals of iconic megafauna species. His cinematic style and immersive approach generate powerful and timeless portraits, based on a clear artistic premise: “If a species had its own statue, what would it look like?”
With over a decade dedicated to the conservation of African and Asian large-tusked elephants, he has won awards in competitions such as MontPhoto, HIPA, Nature’s Best, Px3, and the Fine Art Photography Awards. In 2024, he was recognized as Photographer of the Year: Wildlife at the reFocus Awards.
His work has appeared in media outlets such as National Geographic, BBC Earth, GEO, and Forbes, and he is the author of the book The World As It Once Was (2020), which combines high-impact photography with rigorous science. He has served on juries at international festivals such as Golden Turtle and Jackson Wild, and curated the Europe’s Wild Heart exhibition in Brussels.
His research has led him to two world records for Asian elephants: the longest tusk (3.26 m) and the thickest (58 cm). He is currently collaborating with Colossal Biosciences on the woolly mammoth de-extinction project.
George Dian Balan in Montphoto
2025
The legendary Super Tuskers
Saturday
10:00
Main Auditorium
Where would you go if you could travel back in time? Would you go back to when mammoths ruled the Earth? Have you ever seen an elephant with tusks so long they touch the ground?
One of the greatest challenges facing African and Asian elephants today is the loss of genetic diversity due to the disappearance of large-tusked individuals. It’s estimated that only about 40 iconic tuskers remain per species, and only a fraction of them can be considered Super Tuskers. They look like they’ve come from another era. And they are.
Few creatures convey as much dignity and power as a Super Tusker. But what exactly is it? A Super Tusker is an elephant that meets at least one of these conditions:
- It has tusks whose length equals or exceeds the height of its shoulders (Super Tusker by length);
- Possesses at least one tusk that weighs 1% or more of its total body mass (Super Tusker by weight);
- Their tusks are so long that they touch the ground (Plough-the-Earth).
It may sound technical, but they’re actually easy to spot: the size of their fangs is truly striking. You know it when you see it.
Did you know that in southern India, it has been shown that the longer the tusk, the healthier the elephant? There is a direct correlation between tusk length and the number of parasites in the feces (Raman Sukumar, 2003). Preserving the genetics of long tusks is therefore essential.
This scientific and artistic project has been in development for over 10 years. It has resulted in the world’s largest visual archive of large-tusked elephants, including internationally award-winning images. During this process, I also discovered two new world records (the longest and thickest tusk of an Asian elephant in over 100 years) and collaborated with Colossal Biosciences on the woolly mammoth de-extinction project.
The presentation combines black and white and color images, portraying African and Asian elephants with imposing tusks, including some of the most formidable Super Tuskers ever photographed. Minimalist compositions alternate with more contextual ones, in locations such as the foothills of Kilimanjaro, the sandy rivers of Tsavo, the baobab landscapes of Tarangire, and the Asian jungles.
To capture these images, I visited the same areas multiple times, camped for months in the wilderness, drove independently, and used all kinds of photographic techniques: camera traps, remote systems, and handheld on-foot photography. The images are accompanied by explanations that are simple and informative, without overwhelming the viewer.
The timing of this work’s presentation is crucial. This presentation could greatly benefit from the media boost of a new Jurassic World release, which would rekindle public interest in megafauna.
