World Elephant Day: They are pleasant, they are intelligent, and they are loved by people worldwide. Yes, these are the largest land animals “the elephants”. Unfortunately, these majestic creatures have to face several threats to their survival.
The ivory trade is one of the significant risks associated with these magnificent creatures. However, some other issues like loss of habitat, human-elephant conflict, mistreatment in captivity, etc. also show the plight of elephants.
World elephant day (WED) was started to draw people’s attention to protecting the elephants. Therefore, this international day provides us with an opportunity to raise awareness about the danger these animals are facing and what can be the solution to overcome this situation.
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History of World Elephant Day
World Elephant Day came into existence in 2011 by the initiative of two Canadian filmmakers Patricia Sims & Michael Clark of Canazwest Pictures and also Sivaporn Dardarananda (the Secretary-General of Thailand’s Elephant Reintroduction Foundation). So, for the first time on 12th August 2012, we celebrated this day.
The inaugural celebration of WED got great support from film star and Star Trek legend William Shatner. He narrated the documentary “Return to the Forest“. It was a 30-minute documentary about the reintroduction of captive Asian elephants to the wild. Therefore, since 2012, We dedicated the 12th of August to the elephants.
World Elephant Day (WED) 2013
For bringing people together to help elephants, the WED organization celebrated this day for the second time in 2013. This day the people worldwide remind the world’s elephants are in danger.
The” iWorry campaign” of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust organized an International March for Elephants on 4th October 2013.
WED 2014
In 2014, people across the world planned various activities to support the campaign to save the threatened African and Asian elephants. Estimations show that illegal wildlife trades killed almost 100 African elephants every day.
According to the June 2014 report of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), if poaching continues at this rate, then almost 20% of African elephants may be slaughtered in the next ten years.
Many organizations came forward to protect world elephants. For example- the Gabby Wild Foundation submitted a world series of elephant-themed photographs in collaboration with world elephant day.
WED 2015
We all dedicated a day to the mighty land animal of the earth by celebrating the 4th annual world elephant day. In the past years, the international campaign has reached millions of people worldwide; This campaign has connected many countries, organizations, groups, and individuals to a single goal of the conservation of elephants worldwide.
World Elephant Day 2016
WED 2016 was focused on Asian Elephants as the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) had listed them as “endangered”. At the turn of the country, the estimation shows according to an educational website Bagheera (dedicated to saving endangered species) was approximately 200,000 Asian elephants. In contrast, in that year, probably 35,000 to 40,000 elephants were left in the wild.
According to a report prepared for the 17th Conference of the Parties (CoP17) of CITES, in 2016, the mean estimate of PIKE (Proportion of Illegally Killed Elephant) dropped almost 5% for the first time since 2009.
The price of raw ivory in China also dropped by more than 50% between 2014 and 2015, as per the survey by STE (Save The Elephants) researchers Esmod Martin and Lucy Vigne.
As far as people are concerned about the worldwide events, they arranged numerous events in 2016 to celebrate the day such as an educational event in the L.A.Zoo, a seminar to mark the day at Resources Himalaya Foundation, Nayabato, Lalitpur, Nepal, etc.
WED 2017
This year, it was the 6th international elephant day. Several regions of the world observed this day by organizing various events. So, the Wildlife Conservation Society hosted a visit to the Nasdaq MarketSite in Time Square in celebration of the WED event.
Amarula, the best-selling South African liqueur launched an awareness campaign “Don’t Let Them Disappear” in Canada to save African Elephants. Also, they started this campaign in partnership with a well-known conservation group “WildlifeDirect”.
A life-sized ice sculpture of an African elephant was placed in the summer heat of Toronto to mark the rapid loss of the population of this species.
World Wildlife Fund also took part in the event with the theme Be Elephant Ethical (BEE). It was the time to reevaluate our accomplishments achieved so far in protecting the substantial land mammals. Thus, they organized many more events to celebrate the day with great enthusiasm.
WED 2018
In 2018, different countries of the world organized various events. Some of the activities for the day were-
- Elephant DC hosted a public demonstration in New Jersey and Pennsylvania to get public support for the protection of elephants. The march began from Lambert Lane to support Nosey’s Law in New Jersey to end the ivory market.
- The Disappearing Elephant (a life-size elephant sculpture) was once again organized this year. The statue represents the plight of African elephants when it melts before the spectator’s eyes.
- 200,000 signatures for a #ivoryfreecanada to stop the sale of elephant ivory within Canada.
- Also, for Elephant Valley Project, Cambodia, the organization hosted a fundraising campaign “Bike-A-Thon” and many more events in different countries across the globe.
World Elephant Day 2019
In 2019, the WED organization invited all the individuals and organizations to submit their events for the day. They offered many activities to celebrate the international day on 12th August 2019. For example –
- The Elephant Sanctuary’s Education Team went live on Facebook to highlight some of the educational programs to help people #BeElephantEthical.
- #IvoryFreeCanada to ban the sale of elephant ivory in Canada.
- A special weekend in the Zoo Leipzig, Germany.
- On 12th August 2019, the WED organization released the premiere of the award-winning feature documentary film namely, “A Herd of Orphans” to support world elephant day. This film featured the Elephant Orphanage Project in Zambia.
- Elephantopia holds the painting event on 11th August 2019 in Gilbert, Arizona. Apart from painting events, there were many fun activities to support elephant conservation in Zambia, etc.
- On 12th August 2019, the WED organization released the premiere of the award-winning feature documentary film namely, “A Herd of Orphans” to support world elephant day.
World Elephant Day 2020
We have celebrated world elephant day 2020. People from different countries have united together to celebrate a day of the year on 12th August 2020. Unfortunately, last year the world was going through the COVID-19 outbreak. Still, we had not let down the enthusiasm level of the day dedicated to one of the friendly land animals of the earth.
Here are the highlights of the event:
- World Elephant Day celebrations went online last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Various online events were organized to celebrate the day and spread awareness about the protection of elephants.
- Biodiversity Conservation Webinar was held in conjunction with the international event on 12th August 2020 at 3 pm. MPOC has organized a webinar focusing on the conservation of one of the important species of biodiversity.
- In the webinar, four panelists presented their views based on their areas of expertise. The webinar was also focused on the efforts taken to address human-wildlife conflicts in Malaysia through collaboration with the palm oil industry.
- GLP Films and the Tourism Authority of Thailand have showcased the world premiere of the trailer for “Ethical Elephant Experience in Thailand”.
- CMS VATAVARAN, India has organized various online programs such as Online Quiz Competition and Online Film Festival on Elephants to celebrate World Elephant Day 2020.
Moreover, people participated in the celebration through social media to raise awareness about the conservation of elephants worldwide. You can find out about an event or activity in your nearby locations (if any) and can take part in that. Don’t forget to keep your social distance and stay safe.
World Elephant Day 2021
One more time, we are ready to celebrate World Elephant Day 2021 on Thursday, 12th August 2021. You can be a part of the event by donating or educating people about the importance of the conservation of elephants.
The preparations for World Elephant Day 2021 celebrations have started. If you have any event plan to execute for the celebration of this international event, you can send an email to [email protected] related to the event information.
World Elephant Day 2021 Events
For the past few years, the protest to retire Lucy from Edmonton Valley Zoo to a suitable environment has been a top subject. Lucy is an Asian elephant who was moved from Sri Lanka to the Edmonton Valley Zoo in 1975 when she was not even a year old. Now she’s almost 46 years old but still fighting for her life in that zoo. It’s almost 15 years, and still, Lucy’s well-wishers are fighting to shift her to a better environment for her wellness. But due to underlying medical conditions, veterinarians don’t recommend shifting because it’s a big risk for her health.
This year, LEAP announced a protest on the 15th of August and asked the world to join the event to announce something important about Lucy’s freedom on the occasion of world elephant day. The hashtags they used in this context are #TimeToLetHerGo, #RetireLucy, and #TheWorldIsWatching.
To celebrate world elephant day 2021, wildlife SOS has announced launching a campaign, namely “Toegrey.” It’s meant to challenge elephant lovers all around the world to take part in raising awareness for elephants suffering from chronic foot problems. Through the official site toegrey.org, Wildlife SOS has asked to join this event by painting the feet’ nails with grey color and sharing it on social media with the hashtags #WorldElephantDay and #ToeGrey. They also asked for a donation to provide a pedicure to the elephants suffering from such issues.
Also, CBCGDF_China is celebrating this occasion by raising awareness on social media and sharing their progress in protecting our most intelligent friends. They are working to eliminate the international symposium on this elephant day, deny the elephant shows, and protect the endangered elephants in Asia and Africa.
World Elephant Day 2021 Celebration
On 12th August 2021, various organizations, along with the official page of World Elephant Day on Twitter, raised awareness about the activities towards Elephants worldwide.
One of those celebrations includes the celebration of World Elephant Day by AWF officials.
Further, on the event of International Elephant Day, the Guardian has shared another step towards Elephant conservation. A sanctuary is built in Kenya for rescuing orphaned Elephants, namely Retiti. It is considered the first indigenously run sanctuary for Elephants. And it has been working since 2016 to save and take steps toward the rehabilitation of young orphans.
On 16th August 2021, the Save The Elephants organization on their social media page showered gratitude for taking steps toward saving Elephants. Furthermore, they shared ways to help elephants get the life they deserve.
Oakland zoo has celebrated world elephant day 2021 by sharing a clip of two elephants, Donna and Lisa.
Besides, Dina Titus, a Congresswoman proudly representing the First District of Nevada in the U.S. The House of Representatives shared her love for Elephants by passing legislation to combat the trafficking of our beloved elephants.
There is more such evidence where organizations and individuals from different regions were shouting for enlightening the souls to save our intelligent and empathetic friends with the hashtag #worldelephantday.
World Elephant Day 2022
On the 12th of August, if you wanted to contribute towards saving our loving elephants, you could have visited the world elephant day website and taken a pledge. Already, 22,674 people had signed the petition to date.
HERD, an Elephant Orphanage in Africa, celebrated world elephant day by sharing a slumber party with elephants.
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust observed world elephant day every day by working to rescue and save our elephants, and one of those steps included the rescue of Barnoti. He had been orphaned on the 4th of April 2019 due to the unknown death of his mother. After aftercare and support, the organization saw some improvement in his health. However, he was not with us anymore but always stayed in our hearts.
Furthermore, this organization shouted for adopting a baby elephant to provide it love and life on the occasion of Easter. They stated, “Make it less about chocolates and more about chocolate-colored elephants this Easter.”
Besides, wildlife experts celebrated World Elephant Day by raising awareness about how elephants were ill-suited to be kept inside a zoo. For adding substance, a detailed report was prepared to acknowledge how elephants got affected psychologically and faced early death when kept in zoos.
Several organizations agreed with this fact and took steps toward providing elephants with life outside of the zoo atmosphere.
Another piece of news showed a significant step towards celebrating World Elephant Day 2022. There were 500 elephants to translocate from Botswana to Mozambique. The reason was the tuskless birth of female elephants in Mozambique, which researchers stated was a response to evolution.
With regular awareness and action, we could have prevented the illegal killing of elephants for ivory tusks and saved their habitats from extinction.
World Elephant Day 2023
Awareness and celebrations have begun for the year 2023. The official organization is dedicated to bringing people from around the world together to help elephants.
In preparation for World Elephant Day, Gallery Dana Bay in Dana Point (in the United States) is displaying “life-size” Asian Elephant statues from the “Elephant Parade” initiative. The movement raises awareness about endangered Asian elephants.
Every year, The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald (City in Tennessee) runs programs and events to promote wildlife conservation to all age groups. In 2023, they’ll hold Trunk Trivia at The Elephant Discovery Center in Hohenwald’s heart. There’ll be questions about elephants, the sanctuary, conservation, and prizes to win!
On August 12, a vet from Karnataka, India, collaborating with the state’s forest department will receive the Gaj Gaurav award from the Environment and Forest Ministry.
Update: At Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Australia, the elephant area (paddock) will be the focus on Saturday, August 12. There will be lots of fun activities to celebrate World Elephant Day!
Visit the zoo on Saturday, August 12, and take part in a unique World Elephant Day Enrichment Keeper Talk. You’ll get the chance to watch elephants as they interact with each other, search for food, or play in the mud and dirt, just like they do in their natural habitat.
How to Celebrate World Elephant Day 2023?
Our involvement is vital to make this day more unique which will show our consciousness towards these wild animals. Here are some ways to contribute your part to the WED anniversary.
- You can host your elephant day events like a themed party with your family or friends.
- Also, you can screen the “Return to the Forest” documentary to celebrate the day.
- You can share the knowledge about the plight of elephants and how we can help them to survive.
- Art is an excellent medium to express your thoughts and feelings to others. You can organize a painting competition in the school or in your neighborhood to involve everybody, especially the kids.
- You can visit the zoo or sanctuary to experience the life of elephants and their role in the ecosystem.
- Utilize your social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. to share your concern about elephants using #WorldElephantDay.
- Many organizations are working for the well-being of elephants worldwide. You can donate your contribution to any of these organizations to help save elephants.
World elephant day has originated to mark the plight of world elephants. Saving elephants from extinction is the main motive behind this day. We all must work together to protect elephants so that our future generations do not get to know about the largest land animal only from books; instead, they can experience the existence of elephants on their own.