World Elephant Day 2023: Theme, History, Initiatives

For our ecology, elephants are among the most significant creatures. They are among the most intelligent beings on the earth that we coexist with, with a sophisticated mind that is able to experience powerful emotions. This enormous animal contributes to the preservation of the forest and savanna habitats for other species and is intricately linked to a diverse and abundant biodiversity. Elephants play a key role in the maintenance of ecosystems. In the past ten years, there have been fewer elephants, with a 62% decrease. Every year, on August 12, World Elephant Day is observed to draw attention to these shocking statistics and to help spread awareness. Continue reading to know more about World Elephant Day in detail.

Also Read: World Lion Day 2023

About World Elephant Day 2023

The purpose of World Elephant Day is to raise awareness of the predicament of Asian and African elephants. There is an urgent need to keep the human-elephant conflict peaceful since elephants are adored, worshipped, and respected by people and across cultures worldwide. Elephants endure suffering for amusement. They carry bulky seats for tourists, which exacerbates existing ailments and puts a great deal of strain on the muscles. In India, there is a law protecting elephants, yet it has a flaw that allows for their exploitation. 

The goal of World Elephant Day is to advocate for the protection and conservation of elephants by bringing attention to the serious problems they confront. This day is used to raise awareness of the problems facing elephants, including as habitat degradation, ivory poaching, confrontations with humans, and the need for more effective conservation initiatives. 

Also Read: World Environment Day 2023

History of World Elephant Day

World Elephant Day was co-founded on August 12, 2012, by Canadian Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand, an initiative of HM Queen Sirikit of Thailand. Since then, Patricia Sims has continued to manage World Elephant Day. Since its inception, it has collaborated with 100 elephant conservation charities worldwide and reached a vast audience. Millions of people participated in World Elephant Day, demonstrating how much humans care about elephants and are willing to do whatever they can to rescue them.

Also Read: International Day of Biological Diversity

Why Care?

What are the major concerns behind the decreasing number of Elephants?

Well, the main reason behind the declining numbers of elephants are:

• Habitat Loss
• Poaching
• Human-Elephant Conflict
• Mistreatment in Captivity

Due to the expansion of human settlements into their habitat, agricultural development, and the building of infrastructure like roads, canals, and fences that split their habitat, elephants are also losing their habitats and historic migration routes. As a result of elephants coming into touch with people more frequently, there is an increase in human-elephant conflict. This frequently results in crops and property being destroyed by elephants, as well as sporadic human casualties. Elephants may be killed in retaliation as a result of these unfavourable interactions.

Over the past ten years, there have apparently been 62% fewer elephants. According to certain projections, if immediate preventive measures are not implemented, they may be largely extinct by the end of the following decade. Poachers kill an estimated 100 African elephants every day in search of ivory, flesh, and body parts, leaving just 400,000 alive today. Tens of thousands of African elephants have been killed as a result of illicit ivory trading, which is immensely profitable due to Asia’s unquenchable need for the substance. For instance, it has been suggested that the price of ivory in China quadrupled between 2010 and 2014, causing illegal poaching to soar to unprecedented levels. The demand for ivory must be reduced if we want to save the elephants. 

Also Read: National Endangered Species Day

How to Celebrate World Elephant Day 2023?

There are several ways through which one can become a part of this noble cause. 

• Say NO to Elephant rides. 
• Talk, engage in conversation, and spread awareness to increase consciousness about the declining number of elephants.
• Donate for their maintenance, health and for a cause as a whole.
• Post on #s on social media platforms.

Also Read: World Biofeul Day 2023

World Elephant Day 2023 Theme

The theme of “Safeguarding Elephant Habitats for a Sustainable Tomorrow” might be the focus of Save the Elephant Day in 2023. The core message of the subject is the need of protecting the ecosystems that elephants need to survive, as well as the crucial role that conservation efforts play in ensuring a healthy future for elephants and the areas they call home.

Also Read: International Tiger’s Day 2023

The Government’s Initiatives

• Project Elephant: The Ministry of Environment and Forests introduced Project Elephant as a centrally sponsored scheme in 1991–1992. Population projections for wild elephants for the years 2007, 2012, and 2017. The state with the most elephants is Karnataka, followed by Assam and Kerala.
• Elephant Reserves: Following the direction of the Indian government, the State Government notified the Elephant Reserve as a management body. It comprises forest regions, passageways, private properties, and protected areas.
• The 32nd elephant reserve in the nation would be located at Agasthiyamalai (Tamil Nadu).
• A resolution passed by the Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) mandates the Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme.
• The MIKE programme began in South Asia in 2003 with the following objectives:

• To create institutional capacity within the range States for the long-term management of their elephant populations. To offer information necessary for elephant range States to make appropriate governance and compliance choices.
• Several MIKE sites in India are:
• Eastern Dooars Elephant Reserve (West Bengal)
• Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve (Odisha)
• Shivalik Elephant Reserve (Uttarakhand)
• Mysore Elephant Reserve (Karnataka)
• Nilgiri Elephant Reserve (Tamil Nadu)
• Wayanad Elephant Reserve (Kerala)
• Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve (Assam)
• Deomali Elephant Reserve (Arunachal Pradesh)
• Dihing Patkai Elephant Reserve (Assam)
• Garo Hills Elephant Reserve (Meghalaya)

FAQs

Follow Leverage Edu for more interesting content on trending events.