World Elephant Day – 12th Augustby Bharat Adhikari | 12-08-2018 11:34 |
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 World Elephant Day is an international annual event on August 12, dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants. Conceived in 2011 by Canadian filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark of Canazwest Pictures, and Sivaporn Dardarananda, Secretary-General of the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation in Thailand, it was officially founded, supported and launched by Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation on August 12, 2012. Since that time, Patricia Sims continues to lead and direct World Elephant Day, which is now supported by over 65 wildlife organizations and many individuals in countries across the globe. History: The first International Elephant Day was held on August 12, 2012. The film Return to the Forest, narrated by William Shatner, is about the reintroduction of captive Asian elephants to the wild and was released on the inaugural World Elephant Day. The follow-up feature film When Elephants Were Young, also narrated by William Shatner, depicts the life of a young man and young elephant in Thailand. Mission: The goal of International Elephant Day is to create awareness of the urgent plight of African and Asian elephants, and to share knowledge and positive solutions for the better care and management of captive and wild elephants. African elephants are listed as "Vulnerable" and Asian elephants as "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. One conservationist has stated that both African and Asian elephants face extinction within twelve years. The current population estimates are about 400,000 for African elephants and 40,000 for Asian elephants, although it has been argued that these numbers are much too high "World Elephant Day is a rallying call for people to support organizations that are working to stop the illegal poaching and trade of elephant ivory and other wildlife products, protect wild elephant habitat, and provide sanctuaries and alternative habitats for domestic elephants to live freely". – Patricia Sims, World Elephant Day Co-Founder About World Elephant Society: In November 2015, World Elephant Society was founded by Patricia Sims, Anne Dillon, and Philip Hansen Bailey as the nonprofit tax-exempt charitable organization to help support the annual World Elephant Day campaign. Since that time, Patricia and Anne have managed World Elephant Society as its President and Vice President respectively, and Phil stepped down from the board to be replaced by Lee Bremer as its Treasurer. World Elephant Society creates and disseminates to the public educational information pertaining to elephant conservation worldwide. This information is provided to the public free of charge across a wide variety of media platforms, teacher?s guides for educational curricula, and distributed via the organization?s website. The vision of World Elephant Society is to expand this educational outreach every year, making it a central cornerstone of the organization?s mission. About Elephants: Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. Three species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), the African forest elephant (L. cyclotis), and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Behavior: Elephants form deep family bonds and live in tight matriarchal family groups of related females called a herd. The herd is led by the oldest and often largest female in the herd, called a matriarch. Herds consist of 8-100 individuals depending on terrain and family size. When a calf is born, it is raised and protected by the whole matriarchal herd. Males leave the family unit between the ages of 12-15 and may lead solitary lives or live temporarily with other males. Elephants are extremely intelligent animals and have memories that span many years. It is this memory that serves matriarchs well during dry seasons when they need to guide their herds, sometimes for tens of miles, to watering holes that they remember from the past. They also display signs of grief, joy, anger and play. Recent discoveries have shown that elephants can communicate over long distances by producing a sub-sonic rumble that can travel over the ground faster than sound through air. Other elephants receive the messages through the sensitive skin on their feet and trunks. It is believed that this is how potential mates and social groups communicate. Diet: Elephants are herbivorous and can be found in different habitats including savannahs, forests, deserts, and marshes. They prefer to stay near water Staples: Grasses, leaves, bamboo, bark, roots. Elephants are also known to eat crops like banana and sugarcane which are grown by farmers. Adult elephants eat 300-400 lbs of food per day. Range: African savannah elephants are found in savannah zones in 37 countries south of the Sahara Desert. African forest elephants inhabit the dense rainforests of west and central Africa. The Asian elephant is found in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, China and much of Southeast Asia. Population: At the turn of the 20th century, there were a few million African elephants and about 100,000 Asian elephants. Today, there are an estimated 450,000 - 700,000 African elephants and between 35,000 - 40,000 wild Asian elephants. Reproduction: Mating Season: Mostly during the rainy season. Gestation: 22 months. Litter size: 1 calf (twins rare). Calves weigh between 200-250 lbs. at birth. At birth, a calf's trunk has no muscle tone, therefore it will suckle through its mouth. It takes several months for a calf to gain full control of its trunk. Major Threats: -Poaching -Habitat loss -Human-elephant conflict -Mistreatment in captivity Five ways to #BeElephantEthical -Follow ethical tourism guidelines -Support elephant conservation -Protect habitat for wild elephants -Do not buy ivory or other wildlife products -Do not support places that exploit elephants for entertainment Save elephants, save our biodiversity. 😊 😊 More on: Image from: |
