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World Elephant Day is celebrated every year on August 12. It aims to draw the world’s attention to elephants, their important role in the ecosystem, and factors leading to a rapid decline in their population. This enormous animal contributes to preserving the forest and savanna habitats for other species and is intricately linked to a diverse and abundant biodiversity. Over the years, our planet has witnessed a 62% decrease. Let’s explore more about World Elephant Day, its history, significance, and more.
| Name of the day | World Elephant Day |
| Observed on | August 12 |
| Reason | To promote the preservation and conservation of elephants. |
Table of Contents
History of World Elephant Day
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. Let’s learn the history of this day.
- Canadian Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand, an initiative of HM Queen Sirikit of Thailand, co-founded World Elephant Day.
- It came into existence on August 12, 2012. 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.
Also Read: World Environment Day
What is the Purpose of World Elephant Day?
- 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.
- 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: International Day of Biological Diversity
How to Celebrate World Elephant Day in 2024?
You can become a part of this noble cause in several ways such as:
- 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.
- Support elephant conservation organizations by volunteering or extending financial support.
- Avoid purchasing products that support ivory trading.
- Attend educational events and conferences with your friends and family.
Also Read: World Biofeul Day
World Elephant Day 2024 Theme
There is no specific theme for the celebration of World Elephant Day. The day is observed every year on August 12 with a few certain focus points, including raising awareness about the importance of conserving elephants
Also Read: International Tiger’s Day
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)
Related Blogs
| World Turtle Day | World Nature Conservation Day |
| Slogans on Save Environment for World Environment Day | World Lion Day |
| National Pet Day | Interesting Facts About Elephants |
FAQs
Ans: To raise awareness of the condition of these magnificent species among people and cultures worldwide
Ans: “Safeguarding Elephant Habitats for a Sustainable Tomorrow”
Ans: August 12, 2012.
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