Elephants cannot be manufactured. Once they’re gone, they cannot be replaced.”
—Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, DPhil, CBE, Founder and CEO of Save the Elephants
The 12th August is World Elephant Day. It’s all about bringing the world together to help elephants, which I think is a wonderful theme. The day asks us all to conserve and protect elephants from the threats they face.
#WorldElephantDay
Elephants face threats such as poaching, the loss of their habitat, conflict with people and mistreatment in captivity.
It's vital to work towards better protection for wild elephants; this includes policies to prevent illegal poaching and the ivory trade. We need to conserve elephant habitats (and remember that in doing that, we'll help many other species as well, not just elephants).
The day is a chance for us all to call for better treatment for captive elephants and - where possible - reintroducing them back into natural, protected areas.
Be elephant ethical in the products you buy (will they destroy elephant habitat?) and ways you holiday and travel
For the good news is that conservationists are finding solutions to some of the challenges elephants face. They include beehive fences - did you know that elephants are afraid of bees? Farmers are putting beehives along the field perimeters as a way to protect crops - and this also means they can get an income from honey!
Organisations such as Save the Elephants are using GPS collars to track elephants so that they can warn local communities when the elephants are coming their way. SMS alerts and sirens, drones and AI powered sensors are also employed. The Kenya Wildlife Service uses trained people to drive the elephants away and community 'elephant scouts' help to co-ordinate responses. The community and conservationists are working together.
There's better planning for land use, legally protecting wildlife corridors, and also conservationists are working with landowners to arrange for conservation easements. There are fast track compensation schemes for insurance so that farmers can be compensated if their crops are damaged.
And - crucially - there are schemes so that local communities can benefit from conservation through eco-tourism, for instance. For any conservation to work, conservationists must work with locals and make sure local communities will benefit. After all, people need livelihoods - they need to eat and have shelter and good lives for their children.
Well, as you can imagine there are a great many ways to help elephants so I am just picking a few and then asking you to please spend some time roaming round the incredible #WorldElephantDay website and find more ways to make a difference. There’s no need to confine it all to 12th August (#WorldElephantDay itself) – there will be plenty of actions we can all take every day of the year if we want to.
Be clear about why elephants are important and why they matter to you. What is it that touches your heart about elephants? For instance, I love the way they all look after each other in a family.
Watch Return to the Forest – the video tells the story of the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and its mission to save elephants in Thailand. It also shows the plight of endangered Asian elephants and the key role of elephants in the forest ecosystem, and asks us to consider our role in the protection of elephants and their habitat throughout the world.
Get on social media for #WorldElephantDay and show people how they can help.
Pick a few elephant charities from the list (good luck choosing, there are lots of them, and please don’t forget the ones down towards the bottom of the list because the tendency is always to go for those at the top) and find out what they are doing and how you can help.
Watch elephant videos and share them on social media. Tell people why you love elephants and want to help. Why not create a fundraiser for an elephant charity on social media?
Moving Giants is the largest elephant “re-wilding” effort ever attempted from South Africa to Mozambique, as 200+ elephants will journey more than 1,000 miles to their new home. Find out more – be informed here Tell people about it.
Use the hashtag #BeElephantEthical to promote safe, ethical elephant tourism. Don’t support organizations that use elephants (and other animals) for entertainment and profit.
Donate to #WorldElephantDay. Charities’ income to continue with their work to help elephants has taken a real hammering from the covid-19 virus. There are no tourists so in many cases there is no income. Please help (I’m doing what I can too!).
Visit elephants on holiday – it helps the economy and deters poachers. Choose eco-tourism operators who support local elephant conservation projects and who treat elephants with respect and love and dignity. Responsible Travel have both elephant watching holidays and elephant volunteer holidays.
Many people have relied on elephants and wild animals for a living in the past. Support alternative and sustainable livelihoods for people e.g. sponsor a wildlife ranger. People need to eat.
Be aware of what you are buying – buy fair-trade coffee, and avoid palm oil – palm oil is grown in plantations which destroy wildlife habitatOnly buy wood products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which promotes responsible management of the world’s forests
Give a talk about elephants at your school. Tell your classmates how they can help elephants. Why not start an elephant conservation club?
Please make a pledge with yourself to take 3 actions to help elephants.