Thursday Marks the 10-year Anniversary of World Elephant Day.
Thursday marks World Elephant Day, sparking numerous efforts in support of the magnificent creatures.
Originally created Aug. 12, 2012 by Canadian film director and writer Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation in Thailand, the day aims to drum up support for elephant conservation and the ethical tourism of elephants.
To mark the day, Moving Giants has partnered with World Elephant Day 2021. Moving Giants is responsible for the rewilding effort that is relocating 200 elephants from South Africa to more sustainable areas of Mozambique.
The United Nations is also participating through its United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, utilizing social media to highlight the depleting numbers of elephants worldwide and encourage conservation efforts. The current elephant population is estimated to be about 444,000.
In the United States, California-based The Elephant Project hosted a digital event, as well as two in-person events in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
Called the Elephant Project Walk, people were encouraged to walk wherever they may be, as well as donate and share their impacts via social media to raise awareness and funds toward educating people on elephant conservation and the abusive practices elephants in captivity face.
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“In the name of entertainment, elephants around the world are subjected to beatings, starvation and the use of bull hooks and crush boxes to break their spirits,” Kristina McKean, The Elephant Project’s founder, said in a press release. “By donating to their protection and walking in solidarity with the elephants on World Elephant Day, we can demonstrate our determination to end this torture.”
All proceeds from the event are to be donated to Trunks Up, a nonprofit organization that aids the critically endangered Asian elephant.