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World Elephant Day
August 12 @ 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
World Elephant Day was launched to bring attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants.
The elephant is loved, revered and respected by people and cultures around the world, yet we balance on the brink of seeing the last of this magnificent creature.
Following population declines over several decades due to poaching for ivory and habitat loss, the African forest elephant is listed as Critically Endangered and the African Savanna Elephant as Endangered. The IUCN has estimated the total African Elephant population at around 415,000 individuals for both species combined as of 2016. African elephants are found in 37 countries in sub-Sahara Africa, with an estimated 70% in Southern Africa, 20% in Eastern Africa, 6% in Central Africa and 3% in West Africa.
The Asian elephant has also been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1986. Asian elephants inhabit grasslands and tropical evergreen forests and can be found in a wide range of Asian countries including China, Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Cambodia, etc. The wild population of Asian Elephants was estimated at 48,323-51,680 individuals in 2019.
Though there is an international trade ban on ivory, huge quantities of ivory continue to be illegally smuggled to Asia through international organised crime networks.
Other major threats to both all elephant species include the ongoing conversion of their natural habitats for agriculture and other land uses.
Hashtag # WorldElephantDay