World Elephant Day is an international annual event on August 12, dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants. Conceived in 2011 by Canadian filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark of Canazwest Pictures, and Sivaporn Dardarananda, Secretary-General of the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation in Thailand, it was officially founded, supported and launched by Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation on August 12, 2012."Elephant Reintroduction Foundation", World Elephant Day website Since that time, Patricia Sims continues to lead, support and direct World Elephant Day, which is now recognized and celebrated by over 100 wildlife organizations"Associates", World Elephant Day website and many individuals in countries across the globe.Philip Mansbridge, "Is This Year's World Elephant Day the Last Chance for Elephants?", The Huffington Post, 2013Raj Phukan, "World Elephant Day celebrated at Nagaon", Assam Times, 2013Jennifer Viegas, "Elephants Get Unlikely Help -- But Is It Enough?" , Discovery News, 2013"World Elephant Day - Thailand Must Shut Down Ivory Trade" , Chiangrai Times, 2013"12 years until elephants are all wiped out as one dies every 15 minutes", Metro, 2013Bettina Wassener, "Mourning the Elephants", The New York Times, 2012Fidelis E. Satriastanti, "Sumatran Elephants Still Face Imminent Threats", Jakarta Globe, 2013
Mission
The goal of World Elephant Day is to create awareness of the urgent plight of African and Asian elephants, and to share knowledge and positive solutions for the better care and management of captive and wild elephants. African elephants are listed as "Vulnerable" and Asian elephants as "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List of threatened species."Loxodonta Africana (African elephant)", IUCN"Elephas maximus (Asian elephant, Indian elephant)", IUCN One conservationist has stated that both African and Asian elephants face extinction within twelve years.John Ingham, "Elephants 'extinct within 12 years'", Express, 2013 The current population estimates are about 400,000 for African elephants and 40,000 for Asian elephants, although it has been argued that these numbers are much too high."Status of Elephant Populations, Levels of Illegal Killing and the Trade in Ivory: A Report to the Standing Committee of CITES", CITES
History
The first World Elephant Day was held on August 12, 2012."Overview", World Elephant Day websiteMaria Sowter, "World Elephant Day This Sunday", Into The Wild, 2012"World Elephant Day 2012", The Huffington Post, 2012 The film Return to the Forest, narrated by William Shatner, is about the reintroduction of captive Asian elephants to the wild"Elephants Return to the Forest", American Museum of Natural History"Elephant Reintroduction Foundation", Elephant Reintroduction Foundation website and was released on the inaugural World Elephant Day."Return to the Forest", World Elephant Day website The follow-up feature film When Elephants Were Young, also narrated by Shatner, depicts the life of a young man and young elephant in Thailand.
See also List of environmental dates
References
External links