Currently, there are only about 40,000 elephants left in the world, which makes this species endangered. This means that if measures aren’t taken soon to protect them, they are in real danger of being wiped off the face of the planet.

That’s why we all must do our part to help conserve both Asian and African elephants. A holiday that reminds us all to do just that is Save the Elephant Day. This holiday is observed annually on April 16th and hopefully will get enough people interested in elephant conservation to actually make a difference. We guess only time will tell.

The History of Save the Elephant Day

This holiday was created in 2012 by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation in Thailand and Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims. This holiday has been observed ever since by people who are looking to make a difference in the world by protecting the populations of Asian and African elephants.

Important Facts About Elephants

We don’t feel like we can talk about Save the Elephant Day without taking a few moments to educate our readers about elephants. That is why we decided to do a bit of research and find out a little bit more about elephants, just so we can share them with everyone reading this article. Let’s take a closer look at these facts below before we move on to how this holiday is observed.

• The world’s largest land animal is the African Bush elephant.
• Adult male African Bush elephants weigh up to 6,000 kg on average.
• There are three species of elephants: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant, and the Asian Elephant.
• Elephants have over 150,000 muscle units in their trunk.
• Elephant tusks are enlarged incisor teeth that appear when the elephant is about 2 years old.
• An elephant’s wrinkly skin can hold up to 10 times more water than if it were flat, enabling them to stay cool.
• Elephants need up to 150 kg of food every day to survive.
• Within 20 minutes after birth, a baby elephant can stand.

Observing Save the Elephant Day

Aside from spreading the word about this day on social media using the hashtag #SaveTheElephantDay, there are other ways that people can participate in this holiday. First and foremost, they can take the time to support organizations that help to conserve elephants.

These organizations include Save the Elephants, Elephant Voices, Elephant Aid International, and The Nature Conservancy, among others. People can also avoid buying merchandise that may be made out of ivory or engaging in other practices that can put the lives of elephants in danger.