About World Save the Elephant Day or World Elephant Day
When is Save Elephant Day? This holiday is always observed on April 16
Elephants are the largest mammal to roam the earth today. Their numbers are dwindling, and their very survival is at risk. That makes World Save the Elephant Day an extremely important day. Also called World Elephant Day, the goal of this very special April 16 holiday is to call attention to the plight of our beloved Pachyderms.
Young and old, we all love elephants, They are the most popular animal in the zoo. Unfortunately, in their native environment their very survival as a species is at risk, due to shrinking habitat and poaching. Poaching is taking a very serious toll, as their tusks made of ivory are prized. While the sale of ivory is banned around the world, it commands a huge price on the black market.
Elephant Trivia
Elephants are the largest living land animal in the world.
They are herbivores and spend much of their day eating. They spend about 16 hours a day eating leaves, grasses, fruit, and a variety of other vegetation.
There are three species of elephants: the African Savannah elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant.
There are an estimated 450,000 elephants in existence today. The numbers have been dropping steadily.
A pregnancy takes 22 months from conception to birth. It’s the longest gestation period for any mammal.
A newborn elephant can weigh up to 260 pounds.
They are born blind.
The largest is the African Bush Elephant, a sub-species of the African Savannah elephant. It can grow to 24 feet in length, 13 feet in height, and weigh up to 11 tons.
They can’t jump. Can you imagine if they did?
Their trunk alone weighs about 400 pounds.
They hug their trunks to say “Hello” to each other.
Their ears are shaped like the continent of Africa.
They live 50 to 70 years.
They recognize themselves in a mirror.
They are afraid of bees.
How to Participate in World Save Elephant Day
On Save the Elephant Day, you can:
Visit the elephants at your local zoo.
Visit them at wild animal preserves.
Find out more about groups that are working to save their habitat, as well as those fighting poachers, who kill elephants for their ivory tusks.
Support these groups with a donation, if you can.
Grae schoolteachers, prepare a lesson plan about elephants for your class.
Watch a documentary about them.
Today's Chuckles
Never read an elephant joke while sunbathing. You’ll laugh your trunks off.
Bonus Joke: Why did the elephant leave the circus? He was tired of working for peanuts.
History and Origin of World Save the Elephant Day
Save the Elephant Day was founded in 2012. It was created by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand, working in conjunction with Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims. Their goal is to raise awareness of the threat to survival caused by loss of habitat and poaching.
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