Elephant Day Celebration [2018]

World Elephant Day

On August 12, World Elephant Day is celebrated to conserve and protects elephants from numerous threats they face now a days. On August 12 2012, the inaugural world elephant day was launched to bring attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephant, to share knowledge and positive solutions for the better care and management of captive and wild elephants. African elephants are listed as “Vulnerable” where as Asian elephants are listed as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. One conservationist has started that both African and Asian elephants face extinction within twelve years.

Human elephant conflict is a significant concern, as human population’s increases and forest cover decreases, forcing elephants into close proximity with human settlements. Incidents include crop damage and economic losses, as well as both elephant and human casualties. Poaching of elephants for ivory is a serious threat in some parts of Asia. Poaching of tuskers impacts on sex ratios that become highly female biased; genetic variation is reduced, and fecundity and recruitment may decline. Elephant (Elephas maximus )is listed on CITES Appendix I. Project Elephant was launched in 1992 by the Government of India Ministry of Environment and Forests to provide financial and technical support of wildlife management efforts by states for their free ranging populations of wild Asian Elephants.

The project aims to ensure long-term survival of viable conservation reliant populations of elephants in their natural habitats by protecting the elephants, their habitats and migration corridors. Other goals of Project Elephant are supporting research of the ecology and management of elephants, creating conservation awareness among local people, providing improved veterinary care for captive elephants.

So we celebrated elephant day which is an international annual event on August 12, dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world elephants.

Elephant Day Celebration in Nandankanan

Elephant day was celebrated at Nandankanan Zoological Park on 12th August, 2018 in the presence of Sri H.S.Upadhaya, IFS, Director Nandankanan Biological Park, Sri Jayant Kumar Das, OFS-A (SB), Deputy Director, Nandankanan Zoological Park, Sri K.L. Purohit, OFS-A (SB) DCF, Nandankanan Biological Park and Sri A.K.Roy. The celebration was observed with a mass awareness programme amongst the visitors with a message for elephant conservation. The elephants were received a special treat of coconut, banana, sugarcane, maize, grapes and apple. The mahouts were also felicitated in the auspicious occasion for their hard work. A meeting convened to distribute prizes to the winners of Sit & Draw competition which was organized previously.