Today is 12 August World Elephant Day. World Elephant Day has been celebrated on this day since 2012. After the tiger and lion, the animal that floats in front of everyone’s eyes is the elephant. It is the largest terrestrial mammal in the world. On the one hand, due to urbanization and the destruction of forests, the habitats of elephants are being destroyed. On the other hand, this largest land animal in the animal world is becoming extinct due to the black market and poachers. Mountains and forests were free roaming and shelters for animals.
The destruction of forests has seriously damaged biodiversity. In addition to building sanctuaries to protect wild elephants, environmentalists demand effective measures in the food supply. Elephants have declined by 62 percent from around the world in the last ten years. Many people fear that elephants will disappear like giant dinosaurs in the future if elephant conservation and killing of elephants at the hands of villagers and the nuisance of poachers are not reduced.
The elephant, the largest land animal, is now in danger of extinction. This is being discussed all over the world. Animal analysts have expressed alarm. It is believed that elephants are decreasing at that rate every year. After 10 years, this animal will not exist anywhere except in the zoo. There are two types of elephants in the world. Asian elephant and African elephant.
Both male and female African elephants have tusks. Among Asian elephants, only male elephants have tusks. Elephants can give birth at the age of 12 years. But elephants give birth after 22 months of gestation, the longest period in the animal world.
History of World Elephant Day
Each day has a different meaning. But the main purpose behind all the days is to raise awareness. Elephant Day is celebrated for the same reason. This day is dedicated to the protection and conservation of elephants in different regions of the world.
The main initiative behind celebrating the day was Canadian film directors Patricia Sims and Michael Clarke, in 2011. However, Patricia took all the responsibility to celebrate Elephant Day for the first time on August 12, 2012, with the official establishment and full support.
Film star William Shatner helped them take the project a few steps further by supporting them. He worked on a 30-minute documentary about Asian elephants in the forest. Drawing attention to the plight of these wonderful animals and highlighting the lives of elephants to the world served the purpose of celebrating Elephant Day.
One of the largest, most cuddly, steady, and most intelligent animals in the world, elephants have long been popular. But unfortunately, they have to face the biggest threat to survival. Certain initiatives were needed to keep them alive. As Patricia has done.
Significance of World Elephant Day
Elephants’ lives have long been endangered due to the loss of natural habitat. Added to that is food insecurity. Far from providing them with nearly the amount of food they need each day to survive, poachers have also started to complicate their survival and reproduction. Experts also say that the number of elephants is decreasing from the forest is due to one attack on their habitat.
It is also very difficult to raise a newborn baby elephant as the mother elephant is separated after birth. The elephant has to grow up alone due to not having the company of its mother. They may also have to fall into the hands of hunters while adapting to wildlife. Just a hundred years ago, when the number of elephants in the world was 12 million, this number has reduced to 4 lacks. At least 20,000 elephants are killed by poachers every year.
Research has been going on for years to determine why and how much elephant numbers are declining. According to various reports of those studies, between 2002 and 2011 the number of elephants decreased by 30 percent due to a reduction in the forest area. The creation of large parks in Africa has led to the destruction of animal habitats. The number of unethical victims has also increased. The circus and tourism sector is also creating disturbance for them to grow properly.
World Elephant Day is mainly celebrated to eliminate these problems between humans and elephants and to create a harmonious mindset. It may be possible to find a solution to this problem by combining many ideas.
Some of the notable solutions are to change people’s attitude towards elephants, not to damage their habitat, not to surround them with electric fences in different farms etc. Happily, due to the celebration of Elephant Day, there has been a lot of awareness among celebrities and politicians too. Notably, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ashley Judd, and President Barack Obama.
You may read World Lion Day 2023 History, Significance, Quotes, Status and FAQ
How to celebrate World Elephant Day?
Elephants are endangered animals worldwide. Until the end of the last century, Africa’s elephants were at risk of extinction due to endless civil wars, poaching, and the ivory trade. But the African elephant subspecies has been slowly increasing in numbers over the past thirty years.
On the other hand, the habitat and number of Asian elephants are continuously decreasing at an alarming rate. The reason for the decrease in the number of elephants is that their habitats have been destroyed overnight due to the construction of large-scale infrastructure. Running recovery centers to recover elephants and meet their nutritional needs, health care, rehab, training, etc. From So on this day, you can go to elephant signs.
One of the most important educational programs in elephant care. Many visitors come with their children or students from educational institutions. Various information about the love and care of animals is known in these programs. There is also an opportunity to learn about the history of elephants. You can join all these programs today on the occasion of World Elephant Day.
Spending a full or half day with elephants means giving full support to an important part of nature. Visitors can learn how to talk to elephants, how to check their health, and how to obey their commands. By writing #WorldElephantDay on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., awareness can reach more people. If you want, you can also share the ‘Return to the Forest’ documentary. The day can also be celebrated by drawing pictures, writing, and telling stories to children about elephants.
World Elephant Day Quotes
Elephants live in grasslands. Elephants are found in almost all countries, mostly in African countries. However, Indian elephants are found in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. Elephants are found in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Angola. Despite legal safeguards in place to keep elephants’ rangelands intact, people engage in illegal poaching for ivory meat or their young. These small baby elephants are beaten and petted and used in various games, circuses or temples, or tourist attractions.
Elephants, friends of nature, have now fallen into the endangered species list. This is because of his two front teeth. As this call is valuable, many elephants are poached every year. Elephants are family-oriented animals. The death of one of their members causes great loss to his family. Before the invention of modern weapons or guns, it was thought that there were at least one million elephants in Africa, but now there are 5 million elephants.
Many animals are already lost. Let us save and help this family-friendly animal survive. Today, on the occasion of World Elephant Day, here are some quotes that will help you to come forward to save the lives of elephants. They are not harmful to our society but beneficial. Hope these quotes inspire you to save the lives of elephants on World Elephant Day-
- “Of all footprints, that of the elephant is supreme. Similarly, of all mindfulness meditations, that on death is supreme.” – Gautama Buddha.
- “Awake. Be the witness of your thoughts. The elephant hauls himself from the mud. In the same way, drag yourself out of your sloth.” – Lord Buddha.
- “Elephant’s ears are full of blood vessels and help cool the blood as it travels through the extensive vein network that runs close to the surface.” – Jeff Henschel.
- “The elephant has just one basic gait: an ambling walk; elephants cannot run or jump like other animals.”– Richard D. Estes.
- “Elephants love to play around. They are very intelligent animals. They have a strong bond, at times stretching to several decades, with their mahouts.” -Mark Shand.
- “If anyone wants to know what elephants are like, they are like people only more so.” -Peter Corneille
- “Nature’s a great masterpiece, an elephant; the only harmless great thing.” -John Donne
- Some kinds of animals burrow in the ground; others do not. Some animals are nocturnal, such as the owl and the bat; others use the hours of daylight. There are tame animals and wild animals. Man and the mule are always tame; the leopard and the wolf are invariably wild, and others, such as the elephant, are easily tamed. –Aristotle.
- Some animals are cunning and evil-disposed, as the fox; others, as the dog, are fierce, friendly, and fawning. Some are gentle and easily tamed, as the elephant; some are susceptible to shame, and watchful, as the goose. Some are jealous and fond of ornament, such as the peacock. –Aristotle.
- I’m not much for cats. I’m terrified of mice. I’ve worked a lot with elephants, and they are extremely intelligent and sensitive, and thankfully, they seem to like me. You never want to get on the bad side of an elephant. And never trust a chimp. -Mary Ellen Mark.
World Elephant Day Status
Already 95% of elephants or working animals have disappeared from forest and savanna regions. For this reason, countries that have elephants have been calling for a global ban on hand-killing or ivory trade. Because whether there are elephants or not, if a country has a trade-in its teeth, the elephants will be endangered. The contribution of elephants in maintaining the balance of the environment is worth mentioning.
During the movement in the forest, the whole fruit is swallowed by hand. They then move far away from the tree where they ate the fruit and drop it with their droppings, adding their droppings as a nutrient-rich fertilizer for the plant. Studies show that 75 to 95 percent of trees in tropical forests are seed-dispersed by animals. Not by wind or water. And the most interesting thing is that elephants play a major role in this.
Elephants also contribute a great deal to the development of forest areas. Its shape, size, appetite, amount of food, and habits spread more seeds than any other animal. Birds or other small animals can mainly spread fig fruits or tree seeds. But large animals like elephants are needed to disperse mangoes or other large seed trees.
Elephant dung is also important as fertilizer. It has been calculated that an adult elephant produces about one ton of first-class organic manure in a week. This manure makes an excellent contribution to seed germination and seed germination.
So, we should keep this useful friend alive and protect his life. If this beneficial animal becomes endangered, we will face a big problem. Let’s raise awareness today on World Elephant Day. By sharing a status on your social media account, you can spread awareness to others. Here are some statuses on the occasion of World Elephant Day for your convenience-
- Environmentalists call the elephant the mega gardener of the forest. So to protect the environment and climate and biodiversity, the elephant must be saved from extinction. That’s the hope of World Elephant Day
- Safe sanctuaries are needed to protect elephants. As there is not enough food in our forests for elephants, they are coming into the locality and destroying the agricultural land. Therefore, forests suitable for elephant habitats should be created. On World Elephant Day, we all come forward to protect elephants.
- Elephants should be kept alive to protect biodiversity. Because this beautiful animal helps to grow plants in forest areas by protecting our environment. So let’s come forward to protect the useful friend elephant on World Elephant Day.
FAQ about World Elephant Day
Who started World Elephant Day?
Patricia Sims
What is the date of World Elephant Day?
World Elephant Day is observed on August 12. Source-Wikipedia
We all need to come forward to save the benevolent friend elephant from extinction. This is our hope on World Elephant Day. Thank you so much for being with us.
