In a move to spread awareness about the plight of elephants and recognize the importance of elephants in our ecosystem, World Elephant Day is celebrated on August 12. The day also focuses on spreading awareness about their preservation and protection.
On August 12, 2012 the first World Elephant Day was observed, and the plight of Asian and African elephants was highlighted. Thailand-based Elephant Reintroduction Foundation teamed up with Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims to organise the events on this day. And ever since 2012, Sims has been leading World Elephant Day. It is no news that the number of elephants is constantly declining. Various threats including, poaching, habitat loss, mistreatment in captivity hover over elephants, especially Asian and African. According to recent data of WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), there are roughly 440,000 elephants left on the planet. The WWF also revealed that every year around 15,000 elephants are hunted by poachers and it is our responsibility to take measures for their conservation and to create awareness about the possible ‘Elephant Extinction.’
In India, despite being cultural and religious icons, elephants are badly treated by unschooled mahouts. Many fell prey to poaching, electrocution, train accidents, and poisoning. The theme for this year’s World Elephant Day has not been announced. Blue Dart will plant 1,031,170 trees for elephants on the outskirts of Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in East Singhbum, Jharkhand to observe World Elephant Day.
