When is World Elephant Day?

What is World Elephant Day?

World Elephant Day is a fairly new holiday, with its inception in 2012. The day was formally founded by Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation in Thailand. The purpose of World Elephant Day is to raise awareness about the challenges facing Asian and African elephants. The number of elephants dropped by more than 60% from 2002 to 2012. Today, only 400,000 African elephants and just 40,000 Asian elephants survive in the wild, and the population cannot reproduce fast enough to make up for losses. Poaching, habitat loss, and poor treatment for captive or domesticated elephants have put the fate of these magnificent animals in danger. On World Elephant Day, people are encouraged to enjoy visiting elephants in non-exploitative environments and to donate to conservation efforts.