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.[1] Since that time, Patricia Sims continues to lead, support and direct World Elephant Day, which is now recognized and celebrated by over 100 wildlife organizations[2] and many individuals in countries across the globe.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
World Elephant Day
Elephants
Date(s)
August 12
Frequency
Annually
Location(s)
Worldwide
Established
12 August 2012 (2012-08-12)
Founder
Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation
Website
worldelephantday.org
Missionedit
The goal of World 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.[10][11] One conservationist has stated that both African and Asian elephants face extinction within twelve years.[12] 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.[13]
Historyedit
The first World Elephant Day was held on August 12, 2012.[14][15][16] The film Return to the Forest, narrated by William Shatner, is about the reintroduction of captive Asian elephants to the wild[17][18] and was released on the inaugural World Elephant Day.[19] The follow-up feature film When Elephants Were Young, also narrated by Shatner, depicts the life of a young man and young elephant in Thailand.
Issuesedit
Poachingedit
The demand for ivory, which is highest in China,[20][21][22][23][24] leads to the illegal poaching of both African and Asian elephants. For example, one of the world's largest elephants, Satao, was recently killed for his iconic tusks.[25][26] Another iconic Kenyan elephant, Mountain Bull, was also killed by poachers, and with the street value for ivory now exceeding that of gold,[27][28] African elephants face a poaching epidemic.[29][30] Elephants are also poached for meat, leather, and body parts, with the illegal wildlife trade putting elephants increasingly in danger, because it is perceived to be a low risk and high profit endeavor.[31][32][33] Poachers are often considered trained for this activity due to the amount of tools needed to be transported as well as the large size of these animals.
Habitat lossedit
The loss of habitat due to deforestation, increases in mining, and agricultural activities has become problematic, especially for Asian elephants.[34][35] The fragmentation of habitat also creates isolation – this makes breeding more difficult, and allows poachers to find the elephants and set traps more easily.[36] Asian elephants have lost nearly 30-40% of their habitat, making it incredibly difficult to maintain their offspring and themselves.
Human-elephant conflictedit
Human-elephant conflict is a significant concern, as human populations increase and forest cover decreases, forcing elephants into close proximity with human settlements.[37] Incidents include crop damage and economic losses, as well as both elephant and human casualties.[38]
Mistreatment in captivityedit
A lack of legislation regarding the care and treatment of elephants in zoos, circuses, and tourism often leads to their mistreatment.[39][40][41] Captivity can be a serious threat to elephants, and Asian elephants are often illegally captured in the wild and trafficked into the lucrative tourism industry.[42][43]
^Sanjay Gubbi, M.H. Swaminath, H.C. Poornesha, Rashmi Bhat, and R. Raghunath, "An elephantine challenge: human-elephant conflict distribution in the largest Asian elephant population, southern India", Biodiversity and Conservation, 2014
^"5 jumbos damage crops, run amuck near Soolagiri", The Times of India, 2014
^Sangita Iyer, "Seeing the Mistreatment of Elephants in India Was Haunting", Huffington Post, 2014
^"Animal Rights Activists Say Elephants Forced To Do Handstands By Chinese Zoo", International Business Times, 2014
^Ed Stewart, "No Ethical Way to Keep Elephants in Captivity", National Geographic, 2013
^Richard Thomas, "Thailand must act to prevent resurgence of illegal wild elephant trade", Wildlife News, 2014
^Lindsay Murdoch, "Baby elephants captured, mistreated, to supply Thailand's tourism industry", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2014
^"Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Donates $1 Million to Elephant Crisis Fund", Wildlife Conservation Network, 2014
^Susanna Rustin, "Kristin Davis: 'Ivory is basically a blood diamond'", The Guardian, 2012
^William Shatner, "World Elephant Day is Today", Twitter, 2012
^Russell Flannery, "Yao Ming Targets Elephant Poaching, Ivory Trade In New Campaign With WildAid", Forbes, 2013
^Sarah Morrison, "Prince William wants 'all royal ivory destroyed'", The Independent, 2014
^"Jorja Fox takes on the elephant abusers in new ADI video", Animal Defenders International, 2012
^Michelle Kretzer, "Alec Baldwin to USDA: Seize the Elephants", PETA, 2012
^"Stephen Fry's Elephant Tweet", For Elephants International, 2013
^Nigel M. Smith, "Watch: Ashley Judd Speaks Up for the Elephants in 'The Eyes of Thailand' Trailer", IndieWire, 2012
^Jill Rosen, "Jada Pinkett Smith urges SRB to protect elephants", The Baltimore Sun, 2012
^"Kathryn Bigelow Campaigns to Stop Elephant Poaching with Short Film". 8 December 2014.
^Melissa Mahony, "Elephant in the room no more: Obama bans ivory sales", Salon, 2014
^Rhett A. Butler, "Chelsea, Hillary Clinton urge action to save elephants", mongabay.com, 2014
^Philip Mansbridge, "Is This Year's World Elephant Day the Last Chance for Elephants?", The Huffington Post, 2013