World elephant day: advocating for the future of elephants

Communities worldwide celebrated World Elephant Day on Monday , raising awareness about the protection of elephants from various threats.

At the Adventures with Elephants reserve in Bela Bela, South Africa, an annual event showcases a herd of rescued elephants as they graze and cool off by the water under the hot sun.

The managing director Sean Hensman said elephants faced huge pressure on their habitat,“.... I think it’s just a day to celebrate elephants in general and think about the bigger picture when it comes to their conservation. Elephants are under huge pressure from a perspective of land. So, human populations are exploding. Africa is due to double its population to about 3 to 4 billion people by 2050, and land for elephants is definitely decreasing.”

Elephant handler David Mupupu stated that the population of African elephants has significantly decreased since 1920, “If you look at 1920, in Africa alone we had 4 million elephants and today, only 400,000 left. Which is a 90 percent decrease in the numbers. So we have to take care of our elephants.”

He added to the Associated Press, "We have to take care of our elephants.”

The World Elephant Day Society reports that African and Asian elephants are increasingly endangered by poaching and habitat destruction.

The organization intends to collaborate with other conservation groups to implement effective policies that will combat poaching and protect the habitats of these animals.

World Elephant Day was established in 2012 and is celebrated every year on August 12.