Prehistoric Mammoth Tusk Found at Saddle Lake

Prehistoric Mammoth Tusk Found at Saddle Lake

Rosanne Fortier - News Correspondent

It was Jarrod Cardinal’s birthday on June 19, and as luck would have it he found a prehistoric mammoth tusk while digging a hole for a project in his yard at Saddle Lake Cree Nation.

In the middle of photo is Jarrod Cardinal holding the prehistoric mammoth tusk he found while digging a hole in his yard.

(Photo Courtesy: Lakeland TODAY.ca)

“I was digging away in the ground and I thought it was a fence post that I found but I noticed after that there were curves. I just threw it out of the hole and I didn’t think about it until the next day. Then I was trying to figure out what it was at first and I put it into my car for a few months. I showed it to a few people and they thought it was a tusk and I went from there. A paleontologist at the University of Alberta verified right away that it was a prehistoric mammoth tusk but they don’t know exactly how old it is,” Jarrod said.

The prehistoric mammoth tusk up close.

(Photo Courtesy: LakelandTODAY.ca)

As to what he thought about the rare discovery, he said, “I was blown away! It is unbelievable to know I could be living on land that ancient mammoth roamed. It is authentic but I am happy I found it. It’s been a good ride so far.

I have a 14-year-old son and his friends at school keep talking to him about it. He gets quite a bit of attention for this.

Photos of Jarrod Cardinal’s land where the prehistoric mammoth tusk was dug up.

(Lyle G. Cardinal/Submitted Photos)

Photos of Jarrod Cardinal’s land where the prehistoric mammoth tusk was dug up.

(Lyle G. Cardinal/Submitted Photos)

I now have the tusk stored in a safe place. I have no idea what I will do with it. I was talking with some people and trying to get an idea of what to do. I never went through this before so I don’t know what the steps are as to what to do with it.

We are going to use some radar equipment to take a look and see if there is anything else unique on the land. There should be because that mammoth tusk was over here,” Jarrod added.