Honouring the Majestic Beast: Celebrating World Elephant Day
Introduction & Significance of World Elephant Day
- World Elephant Day is an annual event commemorated every year on August 12th with the endeavour to highlight the escalating plight of Asian and African elephants.
- The purpose of this day is to amplify awareness about the critical threats elephants face, such as poaching, habitat loss, and human-elephant conflicts.
- The theme planned for the year 2024 is “Personifying Prehistoric Beauty, Theological Relevance, and Environmental Importance” embodying the diverse ways elephants enrich our world.
Elephants in India: Significance and Status
- India is a sanctuary to nearly 60% of the world's Asian elephant population, housing an estimated 27,312 individuals as per the 2017 census, making it a significant habitat for these majestic creatures.
- Elephants are recognized as "keystone species", playing an instrumental role in maintaining biodiversity within their ecosystem. They are also designated as the National Heritage Animal of India.
- Karnataka secures the top position in India for hosting the maximum elephant population.
Threats to Elephant Population
- As per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, Asian Elephants are classified as endangered due to multiple threats including habitat destruction, escalating human-elephant conflict, and ruthless poaching.
- Additionally, African Forest Elephants are listed as critically endangered and African Savanna Elephants are marked as endangered, highlighting the global crisis for elephant conservation.
Legal and Protection Status of Elephants
- Elephants are granted protection under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I, in India.
- Internationally, they fall under Appendix I of the Convention of the Migratory Species (CMS), signifying the species are at risk of extinction and require global cooperation for their protection.
Conservation Efforts for Elephant Preservation
In India:
- "Gaj Yatra" and "Project Elephant" are major initiatives taken up by the Indian government to conserve and manage elephant populations.
Globally:
- The Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme, an international initiative, aims to monitor trends in illegal elephant killing for improved management and law enforcement.
- The observance of World Elephant Day contributes significantly to raising global awareness and directing conservation efforts.
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