World Elephant Day

Every year on August 12th, World Elephant Day is celebrated to raise awareness about the need of preserving and protecting elephants. With less than 400,000 elephants left around the world, protecting the world’s largest land mammal is our duty. World Elephant Day is celebrated to shed light on elephant poaching for ivory trade and massive loss of habitat that has led to an extreme decline in Asiatic and African countries. In this blog, let’s take a look at the history, importance, and how we can celebrate World Elephant Day to save our loyal friends around the world!

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World Elephant Day: An Overview

World Elephant Day was started in 2012 and it was founded by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and Patricia Sims who is a director and writer. Patricia Sims has been leading World Elephant Day from the very start. Through the years, 150 more elephant conservation organizations joined in partnership to support this wonderful day.

Patrica Sims, Anne Dillon, and Philip Hansen Bailey founded the organization “World Elephant Society” to raise awareness about World Elephant Day by distributing educational information. 

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History of World Elephant Day

World Elephant Day was first observed on August 12, 2012, by two Canadian filmmakers Patricia Sims and Thailand’s Elephant Reintroduction Foundation. Video celebrity and Star Trek veteran William Shatner offered his support to the project by voicing the documentary Return to the Forest, and a fascinating 30-minute film about the return of captive Asian elephants into the wild.

This day raises awareness about the importance of greater protection for wild animals, such as elephants, as well as improving illegal ivory poaching and trafficking, as well as better treatment of captive elephants. 

Fun Fact: Do you know that this day is currently observed by over 65 wildlife organizations and several people all around the world!

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World Elephant Day: Significance

The first World Elephant Day aimed to raise awareness of the situation of these magnificent creatures among peoples and cultures all around the world. The world’s largest land animals are adored all around the world for their pleasant and intelligent character. Unfortunately, the existence of these wonderful creatures is endangered by several factors.

The ivory trade is a serious concern. China currently has the highest demand for ivory, with the price of ivory frequently exceeding the price of gold, making elephants more vulnerable than ever. Furthermore, ivory-demanding regions of the world, like China, are getting wealthier, allowing them to pay more for tusks. Elephant poaching also has become one of the most lucrative occupations on the planet as a result of these two causes merging.

World Elephant Day is an opportunity for everyone to come together to find ways to decrease human-elephant conflict. A mix of methods is most likely the answer. Land development that avoids habitat damage, electric fences to keep elephants away from crops, and shifts in local attitudes are all possibilities.

Major Threats for Elephant Population

• Poaching: Because of the high demand for ivory, elephant meat, and skin, people trade it illegally which leads to a decrease in the elephant population.
• Habitat loss: Due to deforestation for mining and agricultural activities have become a big problem, especially for Asian elephants.
• Mistreatment in captivity: Captivity can be a problem for elephants, and especially Asian elephants are often captured in the wild illegally and trafficked into the tourism industry.

How Can You Contribute to Saving Elephants?

All the elephants across the world need your help to prevent habitat loss, stop poachers, and stop mistreating them. There are many ways in which you can help elephants and spread information about World Elephant Day !!!! 

• On World Elephant Day, you post on social media using different kinds of hashtags like #WorldElephantDay. Let your friends and family know why it is important to save elephants.
• You can make posters and write slogans on them. Say NO to ivory poaching, Save these majestic creatures, It’s time to save the cutest animal we all love, My favourite animal is the elephant! , Elephants have an amazing memory
• You can also watch wildlife documentaries to learn about the importance of wildlife conservation. 
• You can donate to elephant conservation organizations. For Elephants is one of the famous organizations “For Elephants” researches to find strategies for conservation for African Elephants in zoos and the wild. You can either donate or purchase a For Elephant t-shirt. 

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Steps Taken For Protection Of Elephants

• Project Elephant was established as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 1991-92. Population estimates for wild elephants in 2007, 2012, and 2017.
• Elephant Reserves: An elephant reserve is a management entity that is notified by state governments in line with the guidance of the Indian government. Protected areas, forest areas, corridors, and private/reserve lands are all included. Various state governments have legally notified 30 Elephant Reserves (ERs) covering approximately 65507.42 sq km as of July 2020.
• The Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Program was established in South Asia in 2003, as mandated by a CITES COP resolution, to provide information to elephant range states so they can make appropriate management and enforcement decisions, as well as building institutional capacity within range states for long-term management of their elephants.
  • Chirang Ripu (Assam )
  • Dhang Patki( Assam )
  • Eastern Dooars( WB )
  • Deomali( Arun Pradesh )
  • Garo Hills ( Meghalaya )
  • Mayurbhanj ( Odisha )
  • Mysore ( Karnataka )
  • Nilgiri( T. N)
  • Shivalik (Uttarakhand )
  • Wayanad ( Kerala)

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We hope this article helped you gain some insight into the decreasing population of elephants and the significance of World Elephant Day. Let us know your views on saving elephants in the comment section below. Keep reading Leverage Edu blogs to stay informed about the news things that are happening in the world of education!