A Day to Remember the Gentle Giants
A Day to Remember the Gentle Giants
̈The web went creak, the web went crack.
And all of the elephants went KERSPLAT!¨
Bingo! It’s the same ten little elephant rhyme that we were singing crazily during our childhood days. Are you curious to know the ultimate reality of how it has turned over the years? Instead of kersplat, these elephants are going to leave our universe. Boom!!! I know it’s shocking but the question is, Have we taken any steps to protect these poor little ones? Before answering try to touch your conscience. Well, the world decided to celebrate the first edition of the World Elephant Day on 12 August 2012 to implement a sense of awareness and urgency to protect this beautiful animal from extinction, it was meant to be a clarion call to all to help save the species. Ironically, it is from humans that pachyderms face the gravest threat as they jostle with us for space and resources.
The escalation of poaching, habitat loss, human-elephant conflict and mistreatment in captivity are just some of the threats to both African and Asian elephants. Working towards better protection for wild elephants, improving enforcement policies to prevent the illegal poaching and trade of ivory, conserving elephant habitats, better treatment for captive elephants and, when appropriate, reintroducing captive elephants into natural, protected sanctuaries are the goals that numerous elephant conservation organizations are focusing on around the world. We should express our support solutions for the better care of captive and wild elephants alike.
Elephants, The majestic being
Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild. They communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound; elephants use infrasound and seismic communication over long distances. Elephant intelligence has been compared with that of primates and cetaceans. They appear to have self-awareness, as well as appearing to show empathy for dying and dead family members. African elephants are listed as vulnerable and Asian elephants as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade, as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. Other threats to wild pachyderms include habitat destruction and conflicts with local people. Elephants are used as working animals in Asia. In the past, they were used in war; today, they are often controversially put on display in zoos, or exploited for entertainment in circuses. Elephants are highly recognisable and have been featured in art, folklore, religion, literature, and popular culture.
Why the world is driven to focus on Elephant Day?
World Elephant Day is foreseen mainly to experience elephants in non-exploitive and sustainable environments where elephants can thrive under care and protection. World Elephant Day is to inform people and organisations about the threat that an elephant faces. Although elephants are loved by most of the generations, they are also on the verge of extinction. The reason behind the poor condition of pachyderms is not only poaching and habitat loss but also due to the negligence of the people about the threats that the elephant a magnificent animal faces. One of these threats may be the elephant rides, isn’t it!
World Elephant Day: History
On 12 August 2012, the first international Elephant Day was celebrated. Since then, it is observed annually and this day is dedicated to the huge animal protection and preservation. Michael Clark and Patricia Sima, two filmmakers from Canada and Sivaporn Dardarananda, Secretary-General of the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation in Thailand decided to celebrate World’s Elephant Day in 2011. This day makes people understand the need for better protection for wild animals, elephants and also to improve the illegal poaching and trade of ivory, better treatment of captive elephants. There are around 65 wildlife organisations and several people around the world to celebrate this day.
How World Elephant Day is celebrated?
The best way is to educate yourself and others about this magnificent animal that is an elephant. It is necessary to raise issues that these animals’ faces and social media are the best platforms for this. People watch the documentary on elephants as this makes you realise about the wildlife and about the animals that they face which can be an eye-opener. People donate on this day to a foundation dedicated to protecting elephants from poachers or relocating them to locations better suited their needs.
Steps taken to save elephants
To stop killing elephants MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) programme was established by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) by Resolution 10.10 adopted at the tenth Conference of the Parties in 1997. Around 28 sites participating in the MIKE in Asia which is distributed around 13 countries. India has 10 sites which are followed by two sites each in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand, and one site each in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
One of the sanctuaries in India that protects wildlife is the Mudumalai National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary which lies on the northwestern side of the Nilgiri Hills in Nilgiri District. The sanctuary is divided into five ranges – Masinagudi, Thepakadu, Mudumalai, Kargudi and Nellakota. The protected area is home to several endangered and vulnerable species including Indian elephant, Bengal tiger, gaur, and Indian leopard.
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.
To know more about wildlife read,
An Apocalypse Warning On The Extinction Of 1M Species