World Elephant Day is an international event celebrated annually on August 12^th and it is aimed at rise awareness about world’s elephants and for their preservation. It is worth noting that this Day dates back to 2011 when it was created by the Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims and Thailand’s Elephant Reintroduction Foundation.

The goal of the World Elephant Day is twofold: 1) to create awareness about the urgent plight of African and Asian elephants; 2) to share knowledge and positive solutions for the better care. In particular African elephants are listed as “Vulnerable” and Asian ones as “Endangered” on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of threatened species. Both African and Asian elephants face extinction within a few years if we do not protect them. It is estimated that only remain about 400,000 African elephants and about 40,000 for Asian elephants, although it has been argued that these numbers are much too high.

The demand for ivory, which is highest in China, leads to the illegal poaching of both African and Asian elephants and poses a great threat to the existence of elephants if it is not stopped.