Other than International Youth Day,  yesterday  was also World Elephant Day.

Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. Traditionally, two species are recognised, the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Elephants are herbivorous and can be found in different habitats including savannahs, forests, deserts and marshes. They prefer to stay near water. They are considered to be keystone species due to their impact on their environments.

The birth of an elephant is a spectacular occasion.Grandmothers,aunts, sisters, and cousins crowd around the new arrival and its dazed mother, trumpeting and stamping and waving their trunks to welcome the floppy baby who has so recently arrived from out of the void, bursting through the border of existence to take its place in an unbroken line stretching back to the dawn of life.

Yesterday  is World Elephant Day: and time is ticking by for (especially) Africa's elephants. 

And for many, this crisis is not only about the death tally – it also embraces the folly of allowing a trade in ivory.  In an attempt to raise awareness of the elephants plight, August 12 has been declared World Elephant Day and people in many countries will be taking whatever action they can in defense of this great fellow creature.