World Elephant Day (22/09)

On September 22, many countries celebrate one of the environmental holidays, — World Day of Elephants, which was established at the initiative of environmental organizations, environmentalists and caring people concerned about the decline in the number of these animals. For some, this fact may cause amazement, but, alas, today such thick-skinned giants need protection.

Elephants — are the largest land mammals on the planet, belonging to the elephant family (Elephantidae), the order Proboscidea. These are intelligent, self-aware and highly organized animals, the only ones that have survived to this day, representatives of an ancient group of proboscideans that previously inhabited most of the land. Currently, elephants live naturally in the tropical forests and savannas of Southeast Asia and Africa.

Since ancient times, elephants have been revered by many peoples of the world; in many cultures they are a symbol of the power and greatness of rulers, wisdom and tranquility, kindness and prosperity. In any Buddhist country, elephants are revered as a symbol of longevity, prudence and prudence.

They also played a significant role in people’s real lives. It is known that in ancient times elephants participated in military campaigns and battles, helped in the construction and transportation of goods, and were indispensable assistants to peasants. And even today, the well-being of a number of countries where tourism is one of the key sectors of the economy directly depends on elephants, which attract tourists to the country. For example, in Thailand and India, elephants take part in all holidays, creating a unique flavor, playing polo, racing, drawing, entertaining tourists…

Elephants are revered by many peoples of the world (Photo: Delbars, licensed by Shutterstock.com)

However, it is man who is the main enemy of the elephant. After all, the main reasons for the decline in the number of these animals are — people hunting them for tusks and meat, extermination due to damage caused to crops, deforestation — of the natural habitat of elephants, and indeed environmental degradation in general.

Today, for example, African elephants are one step away from extinction. Despite the fact that in many countries around the world killing an elephant is punishable by death, and protected and environmental areas have been created to protect them, the problem still remains. Indian elephants are not hunted for tusks, which only males have, but also those are very short. But here the situation is no easier. Since India is considered the most densely populated place in the world, elephants are simply forced out of their natural habitat, often doomed to death from lack of food and water.

Even zoos — is not the solution to the problem. After all, they are not comfortable everywhere, and elephants are not followed by appropriate care and kind attitude everywhere. But, first of all, elephants practically do not reproduce in captivity, and their lifespan is reduced significantly (the average life expectancy in the wild is 60-70 years).

Today, for example, African elephants are one step away from extinction (Photo: paula french, licensed by Shutterstock.com)

Currently, only two species have survived: the Indian elephant, which reaches a height of 2.5 meters and a weight of 3-5 tons, and the larger representative of the – African elephant, at a weight of 5-7 tons its height can reach up to 4 meters. Today in Africa there are approximately 500-600 thousand elephants, in Asia there are about 30 thousand individuals, and these figures are constantly declining. Indian elephants are listed in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as « in a dangerous state», African – as « in a state close to threatened». In 1989, a UN decision completely banned the international trade in ivory (tusks), which is used for jewelry and crafts.

Therefore, the main purpose of the Day is to disseminate information about the need to protect and preserve the population of African and Indian (or Asian) elephants, and to attract the attention of the general public to the problem of the illegal extermination of elephants and the improper keeping of these animals in captivity.

Despite the fact that World Elephant Day does not yet have official status, many environmental and environmental organizations around the world traditionally take part in organizing events dedicated to this date. On this day, educational events, flash mobs, exhibitions and conferences are held, people are told about elephants, about their life in nature and in captivity, about the problems of preserving these majestic animals.

Elephants — are very good swimmers! (Photo: vitaliy_sokol, licensed by depositphotos.com)

It should also be noted that this is not the only date dedicated to elephants. Thus, there are other holidays and international days directly related to these animals and celebrated by decision of various initiative groups from different parts of the world. For example, June 20 is World Elephant Day in zoos, and March 13 is Elephant Day in Thailand. There is also World Elephant Day (or «Slonowin»), which is celebrated annually on November 30th.

Some interesting facts about elephants are: — In addition to being the largest living land mammal on the planet, elephants last 22 months in female elephants, the longest period of time for carrying cubs of any animal. In this case, only one cub weighing up to 100 kg is born. — An elephant eats up to 450 kg of plant foods per day and drinks up to 300 liters of water. And because he eats so much, his teeth change 6-7 times in his entire life. — Elephants are considered to have a well-developed emotional sphere — they can experience various feelings: sadness, joy, empathy, sadness and even depression. By the way, elephants — are the only animals that have a burial ritual. — Elephants are also known to be right-handed and left-handed, depending on which tusk they work more often. Because of this, they usually have one tusk shorter than the other (the worker wears out faster). — Elephants are excellent swimmers, but cannot jump, so they simply step over or bypass an obstacle.

There are also sayings about elephants: «An elephant in a china shop» — is when a clumsy, clumsy person with poor coordination of movement is often compared to an elephant, who will definitely break something and break it around him. But this, by the way, is a misconception, since, according to trainers, the elephant — is a very neat and careful animal. But the saying «As a grain elephant» is very true. After all, the thickness of the skin with underlying layers reaches 3 cm. And if it falls out in the mud, as elephants like to do, then dried dirt and a subcutaneous fat layer, which can reach up to 5 cm thick, make its skin natural armor.

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