Once a species you could count in the millions, the world's elephant population is now in desperate trouble.

Multiple award-winning wildlife artist, Jonathan Truss is hugely concerned about the plight of his favourite animal.

Having regularly travelled to Zambia to paint elephants in the wild, he has now fulfilled a 15-year ambition to create a life-size painting of a Big Tusker, charging head-on towards the viewer.

The result is Tusker's Last Stand, a dramatic image which Jonathan hopes he can now use to raise vital awareness of the 30,000 elephants poached illegally for their tusks last year - that's one every 15 minutes.

On show at Sandown Mercedes in Poole - who also sponsored the painting - for a month, it is now being stored in Jonathan's Queen's Park workshop, awaiting the right offer which will enable him to donate a substantial amount to support charities working on the ground, helping both orphaned baby elephants and protecting adult elephants.

"The greater percentage goes to wildlife," explains Jonathan.

"I'm just generating as much media interest as possible. It needs to be seen to raise awareness. It took five weeks to do and, in the time it took me to paint that elephant, 2,500 elephants were killed for their ivory.

"There are now only about 30 left of the big tuskers, with 100lb tusks. This one was Kenya's biggest, the most famous elephant. He was killed last year. If you can't protect him, what can you do?"

Having been a musician - he taught himself guitar and played "about 1,500 gigs" - as well as having a cabaret act as an impersonator, something he discovered a talent for at school - Jonathan discovered painting 25 years ago and admits he hasn't looked back since.

Combining that passion with his love of wildlife has led to a successful career which has seen him twice scoop BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year in the Frozen Plant category; hold countless exhibitions in New York, London, LA and Kenya and signed to leading fine art publishers in the UK.

A personal highlight includes illustrating two books with renowned wildlife writer Brian Jackman, whose book on the Marsh lions with zoologist, wildlife photographer and television presenter Jonathan Scott first inspired Jonathan to pick up a paintbrush.

"They inspired me to go to the Masai Mara in Zambia with their images," he remembers. "I've now been to this place with Jonathan Scott - what an amazing thing to be inspired by a person and to become mates through your love of animals.

"Brian Jackman contacted me and asked if I would be interested in illustrating his book. I really had come full circle then."

Having fulfilled several of his ambitions - including being published and painting a life-size elephant - what's next on the to do list?

"The goalposts keep moving for me," smiles Jonathan, who admits he is never satisfied with his paintings and could never have his own work on the wall at home.

"I'm still ambitious, I'm still creative, I've still got big ideas. You need that to move forward.

"But I loved painting from day one and I've developed a skill as an artist because I love it so much. If you want to improve as an artist, paint what you love because then you're going to want to paint.

"If you love it like I love it, you will never do anything else."

To find out more about Jonathan's campaign to save the elephants, visit jonathantruss.com