Satao had become a familiar face to those living and working in the 22,000 sq. km. Tsavo Conservation Area. Tsavo Trust considered him a creature of habit who didn't move more than 15 kilometers from the Satao Camp site that christened him with his name. He was estimated to be between 45 and 50 years old, but since the Tsavo Trust could retrieve his teeth after his death, they've narrowed that age to between 48 and 50, one of the oldest in the project. While he would occasionally mingle with other herds at watering holes and travel with his posse of smaller bull elephants known as askari, Satao was frequently seen alone. A stoic image of the "loner bull" and a reminder of what a great elephant could become if left alone for half a century.

Satao was certainly a creature of habit, and he was also aware of the presence of humans, an obvious repercussion of human-elephant conflict as conservation parks push up against human growth. Richard Moller of the Big Tusker Project noted that, "He was trusting of humans, to the extent that I think he knew the sound of my car and I could get particularly close to him. His trust was his final downfall."

This behavior served as a warning; poachers knew of Satao, and Satao's behavior indicated he knew of poachers. He would often hide his ivory behind a bush or behind the askaris that traveled with him, as though he knew that humans were after it. Moller believes that poachers loitering just past the Park boundary noticed him, and formulated a plan. A tusker with ivory of that size would be worth the risk of breaching the Park's electric fences under the cover of nightfall.