๐ WORLD ELEPHANT DAY 2020 ๐
Today on August 12th we celebrate the World Elephant Day!
The World Elephant Day was created in 2011 by Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims and Thailandโs Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and reminds us how amazing elephants are and how they are endangered and need to be protected.
Let's start with some elephant fun facts!
Elephants are the largest living land animal.
There are 3 species,the African Savannah Elephant (up to 8.000kg / 9 tons and 4m / 13 ft shoulder height)
the African Forest Elephant (a bit smaller than the savannah elephant)
the Asian Elephant (up to 5.500kg / 6 tons, and 3.5m / 11.4 ft shoulder height)
Elephants are herbivores (vegetarians), eating a diet of grass, fruit, leaves, twigs, and tree bark.
An adult elephant consumes about 100kg of food and 100 litres (26 gallons) of water per day.
The ears of african elephants are larger than the ones of the asian elephant to dissipate body heat, by flapping their ears they can cool down the veins behind their ears.
African elephant ->
An elephant can lift up to 250kg / 550lbs with its trunk.
The trunk is used to breath, smell, drink (it fits up to 10 litres / 2.6 gallons), eat (to shove food into the mouth) and hug.
The trunk is very mobile and sensitive and consists of 40.000 muscles, and is used like a hand (they can pick up coins or crack open peanuts). Furthermore elephants may greet each other by intertwining their trunks, almost like a human handshake!
An elephants tusks are made from ivory and are used to dig, defend themselves, attack and collect food by scraping off bark from trees.
Elephants live in small family groups led by female elephants and are very social animals that form strong bonds.
Newborn elephants weigh around 100kg / 220lbs and are nursed by their mother for around 4 years.
<- Asian Elephant
It's not easy for them to lay down and get up, so they sleep around 4 hours a night laying down and doze during the day while standing.
Elephants can travel over 80km a day and when it rains, their large footprints act as water collectors and serve as water sources for smaller animals.
Unfortunately, elephants are endangered.
Both African and Asian elephants are endangered, but there are less Asian ones around today.
Poachers hunt elephants for their ivory tusks. Ivory is extremely expensive, its price often exceeding the price of gold.
In addition to that, elephants also experience habitation loss. With the land being cleared for agriculture elephants can't find enough food to eat.
Toursism is also a threat to elephants. Especially Asian elephants are made to perform for toursists. The animals that are used for photos, riding tours, etc. are often held in bad conditions.
How elephants are protected and how they can be enjoyed ethically.
Luckily, many people and organizations work hard to protect these majestic animals!
National parks in Africa offer tourists the opportunity to experience elephants in an ethical way; from far away during safaris. The money brought in by the tourists is used to protect the animals from poachers and to treat sick elephants.
There are also elephant sanctuaries which take care of orphaned animals and ones rescued from circuses and similar tourist attractions. Tourists can visit these sanctuaries for some days and even work there to help out!
Generally speaking; elephants are best enjoyed from far away in their natural habitat.
Attractions that offer you to touch or ride elephants often lead to mistreatment of the animals.
What you can do to help.
To gain space for coffee plantations, elephant's habitats often get destroyed - buying certified fair trade coffee is a way to make sure no habitat got destroyed.
Be aware of how elephants are treated in zoos and circuses (there are zoos that allow elephants to live species-appropriate
but many still don't give elephants enough space!).
Support organizations that actively work to protect elephants, like the African Wildlife Foundation or the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
Let's discuss!
Did you have an experience with an elephant? Have you maybe donated to charities or have a favourite charity?
Do you live in a country where elephants are native in?
What was your favourite elephant fun fact?
Please share your opinions and experiences with us!
Sources.
List of ethical elephant sanctuaries - responsibletravel.com
How to enjoy elephants - nationalgeographic.com
All about elephants - britannica.com
