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WORLD ELEPHANT DAY

12th August, 2022

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Context:  World Elephant Day is observed every year on August 12 with the goal of recognising their importance in our ecosystem.

Details:

  • This day emphasises on raising awareness of the dangers that elephants encounter in their lives.
  • Poaching, habitat loss, and mistreatment in captivity are some of the common threats that these animals usually come across.
  • It is crucial for people to understand how important they are to the ecosystem and do everything in their power to safeguard them.
  • This day was first observed in the year 2012 by two Canadian filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark along with the Thailand-based Elephant Reintroduction Foundation.
  • And ever since 2012, Patricia Sims has taken the lead on World Elephant Day. She has an organisation called the World Elephant Society. Her organisation has managed to create awareness about the threats faced by the elephants and the necessity to protect them on an international level.
  • Elephants are crucial as they help in maintaining the ecosystems for other species. The loss of elephants can be detrimental to the environment as it can facilitate the weakening of the structure of nature.
  • According to National Geographic, the elephant population has declined by an estimated 50 per cent over the past 75 years. As per the reports, there are an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 Asian elephants left.
  • Elephants are the largest mammals on earth.
  • Elephants pick up objects and greet other elephants with the help of their trunk.
  • Their skin is 2.5cm thick in most places, and they often take mud baths to protect their skin.
  • Interestingly, elephant’s trunk has around 150,000 muscle units.

 

Basic Details

  • The Indian elephant is one of three extant recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant and native to mainland Asia.
  • Asian Elephant is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the north, Sumatra in the south, and to Borneo in the east.
  • The Asian elephant is the largest living land animal in Asia.
  • Since 1986, the Asian elephant has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as the population has declined by at least 50 percent over the last three elephant generations, which is about 60–75 years.
  • It is primarily threatened by loss of habitat, habitat degradation, fragmentation and poaching.
  • African elephants are listed as “vulnerable” and Asian elephants as “endangered” in IUCN Red List of threatened species.
  • The South Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are home to nearly 44% of the elephants.
  • Karnataka has the highest number of elephants: 6049
  • The elephant has been accorded the highest possible protection under the Indian wildlife law through its listing under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • Project Elephant (PE) was launched by the Government of India in the year 1992 as a Centrally Sponsored Schemewith following objectives:
  • To protect elephants, their habitat and corridors.
  • To address issues of man-animal conflict.
  • Welfare of captive elephants
  • Elephant census, is conducted once in 5 years under the aegis of Project elephant. Methods employed: direct counting and dung decay formula.
  • Campaign Haathi Mere Saathi came into existence by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in partnership with Wildlife Trust of India.
  • The aim of this campaign is to increase public awareness and develop friendships between elephants and the local population. It is to conserve and protect elephants.
  • The Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programmeis an international collaboration that measures the levels, trends and causes of elephant mortality, thereby providing an information base to support international decision-making related to conservation of elephants in Asia and Africa.
  • The MIKE Programme was established by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)by Resolution 10.10 adopted at the tenth Conference of the Parties in 1997.
  • There are currently 28 sites participating in the MIKE programme in Asia, distributed across 13 countries: India has 10 sites.

Elephant Range

Elephant Reserve 

State 

Total Area 

Eastern India
(southwest Bengal – Jharkhand-Odisha)

1. Mayurjharna ER

West Bengal

414

2. Singhbhum ER  

Jharkhand

4530

3. Mayurbhanj ER 

Odisha

3214

4. Mahanadi ER 

Odisha

1038

5. Sambalpur ER 

Odisha

427

6. Badalkhol-Tamorpingla

Chhattisgarh

1048.30

North Brahmaputra
(Arunachal – Assam)

1. Kameng ER 

Arunachal Pradesh

1892

2. Sonitpur ER 

Assam

1420

South Brahmaputra
(Assam- Arunachal)

1. Dihing-Patkai ER 

Assam

937

2. South Arunachal ER 

Arunachal Pradesh

1957.50

Kaziranga
(Assam- Nagaland)

1. Kaziranga – Karbi Anglong ER

Assam

3270

2.  Dhansiri-Lungding ER

Assam

2740

3. Intanki ER 

Nagaland

202

4. Singphan ER 

Nagaland

23.57

Eastern Dooars
(Assam- W. Bengal)

1. Chirang-Ripu ER 

Assam

2600

2. Eastern Dooars ER 

West Bengal

978

E. Himalayas (Meghalaya)

1. Garo Hills ER 

Meghalaya

3,500

Nilgiri –Eastern Ghat
(Karnataka- Kerala- Tamilnadu-Andhra)

1. Mysore ER

Karnataka

6724

2. Dandeli ER 

Karnataka

3. Wayanad ER

Kerala

1200

4. Nilgiri ER

Tamil Nadu

4663

5. Rayala ER 

Andhra Pradesh

766

South Nilgiri
(Kerala- Tamilnadu)

1. Nilambur ER 

Kerala

1419

2. Coimbatore ER 

Tamil Nadu

566

Western Ghat
(Tamilnadu- Kerala)

1. Anamalai ER 

Tamil Nadu

1457

2. Anamudi ER 

Kerala

3728

Periyar
(Kerala- Tamilnadu)

1. Periyar 

Kerala

3742

2. Srivilliputtur ER

Tamil Nadu

1249

Northern India (Uttaranchal-U.P.)

1. Shivalik ER 

Uttarakhand

5405

2. Uttar Pradesh ER   

Uttar Pradesh

744

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