New York: World Elephant Day, celebrated every year on August 12, aims to spread awareness on the risk of extinction faced by these much-loved wild animals. In the last decade, the number of elephants has significantly dropped globally, mainly in Africa and Asia.
In India too, elephants are an endangered species. While elephant poaching has reduced in India due to the continuous efforts of state and central governments, jumbos are still hunted in large numbers in African regions for ivory.
On 12 August, 2012, World Elephant Day was co-founded by Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand, an initiative of HM Queen Sirikit.
This day was observed for the first time on 12 August, 2012. And since then, World Elephant Day has been celebrated every year.
World Elephant Day plays a crucial role in raising awareness about the problems faced by these gentle giants all around the globe. These animals face the threats of poaching, illegal wildlife trade, habitat destruction and more.
