World Elephant Day

08/12/2026

🐘 How well do you really know elephants❓

Most people are familiar with the saying “An elephant never forgets”, but these incredibly intelligent and social animals have many more fascinating traits and talents. Let’s explore a few:

➡️ They can “communicate” through vibrations in the ground. These seismic signals can help elephants maintain contact and warn others of danger.
➡️ They have extremely strong family bonds, with females typically remaining within their family groups for life. Females in the herd practise allomothering - babysitting, caring for and protecting other calves.
➡️ As ecosystem engineers, they shape entire landscapes by clearing pathways through dense vegetation, dispersing seeds, and creating small waterholes that sustain plants and other wildlife.
➡️ Every elephant has a unique combination of ear shape, notches, tears and other markings, making each animal one-of-a-kind.
➡️ Researchers have observed elephants behaving in ways that resemble mourning around deceased family members, including touching and remaining close to their bodies.
➡️ And as the saying suggests, elephants have excellent memories. They can recognise relatives by their scent, even after years apart.

When we safeguard elephants, we’re protecting highly intelligent, sentient beings with behavioural traits that may seem surprisingly familiar to our own. 💚

Thank you World Elephant Day for raising awareness of the plight of elephants on - in Africa and across the globe. 🌍

08/12/2026

🐘 Today is World Elephant Day! 🐘
This year, we’re asking the world to do something a little different: Be More Like Elephants.

Learn more about the campaign:
🌍 https://f.mtr.cool/ftqtcqidsa

👉 Donate now: https://f.mtr.cool/ctumkazylj

What if the qualities that make elephants extraordinary could inspire us to be better humans?

Remember.
Listen.
Care.
Cooperate.
Protect your family.
Look after the world around you.

Elephants show us that empathy is strength. That relationships matter. That memory connects generations. That cooperation can overcome challenges. And that caring for the world we share is not optional — it is our responsibility.

Across Africa and Asia, elephants are facing shrinking habitats, climate change, increasing conflict with people, and an increasingly toxic world — from pollution and environmental contamination to other human-made threats. These pressures can lead to tragedy for both elephants and people.

But elephants can also show us what is possible when we choose coexistence, compassion and long-term thinking.

Be More Like Elephants is our global campaign theme for World Elephant Day 2026 — a reminder that protecting elephants isn't only about saving one species.

It’s about protecting families.
Protecting communities.
Protecting ecosystems.
Protecting our shared future.

Today, August 12, join millions of people around the world in celebrating elephants — and the lessons they can teach us.

🐘 Be More Like Elephants.
🌍 Protect their legacy.

Please show your support for elephants by donating to World Elephant Day to help bring the world together to help elephants.

08/12/2026

🇳🇬 Nigeria’s remaining elephants need our attention. 🐘

Only around 400 elephants remain in the wild in Nigeria — roughly 300 forest elephants and 100 savanna elephants.

Conservationists are warning that habitat loss, illegal ivory trade, human-elephant conflict and snares are putting these elephants at serious risk. And with an estimated 80% of Nigerians unaware that elephants still exist in the country, raising awareness is more important than ever.

But this is not a hopeless story. Protecting Nigeria’s remaining elephants means protecting forests, biodiversity, communities and the future of an irreplaceable part of the country’s natural heritage.

As we mark , let’s make sure these elephants are not forgotten.

🐘 Be More Like Elephants. Protect their legacy.

Read more:
https://guardian.ng/property/habitat-abuse-nigerias-forest-elephant-population-declines-to-400/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Nigeria has warned that habitat loss, poaching, illegal logging and human encroachment are pushing the country's elephant population

08/12/2026

🇳🇬 Nigeria’s remaining elephants need our attention.

Only around 400 elephants remain in the wild in Nigeria — roughly 300 forest elephants and 100 savanna elephants.

Conservationists are warning that habitat loss, illegal ivory trade, human-elephant conflict and snares are putting these elephants at serious risk. And with an estimated 80% of Nigerians unaware that elephants still exist in the country, raising awareness is more important than ever.

But this is not a hopeless story. Protecting Nigeria’s remaining elephants means protecting forests, biodiversity, communities and the future of an irreplaceable part of the country’s natural heritage.

As we mark , let’s make sure these elephants are not forgotten.

🐘 Be More Like Elephants. Protect their legacy.

Read more: https://punchng.com/nigerias-remaining-400-elephants-face-fight-for-survival-conservationists/

Conservationists warn that Nigeria's remaining 400 elephants are threatened by habitat loss, ivory trade, and human-wildlife conflict. Learn how to save Ni

08/11/2026

🇨🇦 Canada closed the door on the ivory and rhino horn trade. Now we need to lock it.

In 2024, Canada banned the import and export of raw elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn after a campaign that mobilized more than 700,000 Canadians.

We thought the door was closed.

But this spring, news that a South African rhino rancher sought to export 479 rhino horns to a single address in Ontario raised an unsettling question: How secure is that door?

As World Elephant Day CEO & Founder Patricia Sims writes in our latest article, wildlife trafficking has evolved into a sophisticated form of transnational organized crime. Legal grey zones, international networks and treaty loopholes continue to put elephants, rhinos and other wildlife at risk.

This October, governments will gather in Vienna to consider a proposed protocol under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) that would strengthen the international response to wildlife trafficking.

Canada has already shown that its citizens will stand against the ivory and rhino horn trade. Now, we need Canada to take that conviction to the international stage.

To our Friends of World Elephant Day in Canada, join our appeal and ask the federal government to support and co-sponsor the proposed UNTOC protocol:
https://win.newmode.net/elephanatics/givewildlifecrimetheseverityitdeservessupporttheuntocprotocol

🐘 Jane Goodall chose elephants, not ivory. This year, let's honour that legacy by choosing justice for elephants—and ensuring crimes against wildlife are treated as crimes. 🐘

Elephanatics Environment and Climate Change Julie Dabrusin

Send a letter to your MP now urging Canada to champion the UNTOC Protocol and stop transnational wildlife crime. Transnational wildlife crime is one of the world's most profitable illegal trades, estimated to generate up to US$199 billion annually in criminal proceeds. Worse still, when you include...

08/08/2026

🐘 What if we were more like elephants? 🐘

Our 2025 campaign explored the remarkable qualities of elephants; from their strong social bonds and cooperation to their empathy, memory and care for their families.

This year, Be More Like Elephants builds on that message by challenging us to put those qualities into practice.

Conservation isn't only about protecting a species. It's about cooperation, compassion and creating a future where people, wildlife and the ecosystems we share can thrive together.

Watch our 2025 campaign video and discover the lessons elephants have to offer.

🎥 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R_FVsAOTTw
Huge thanks again to everyone who helped bring our 2025 campaign video to life: Peter Gabriel, Daryl Hannah, Julian Victor, Fillip Plastoka, Charlie Summers, Ron Thaler, Jonathan Wright, Kerry David, Debra Stevens, Over and Above Africa, Elephant Havens Wildlife Foundation and Creators at Play Tony Robbins

🐘 This year, for our 2026 campaign, we're asking you to
Be More Like Elephants 🐘

World Elephant Day on August 12, 2026 is coming! Here's our 2025 o...

08/07/2026

🚨 UPDATE FROM AMBOSELI, KENYA

The investigation into the deaths of at least 15 elephants in the Amboseli ecosystem is raising even more urgent questions.
The Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA) is calling for a comprehensive, transparent, multi-agency investigation into the presence of highly toxic cyanide found in preliminary tests of the elephant carcasses.

While authorities have suspected that the elephants may have consumed contaminated tomatoes from nearby farms, the KVA says the source of the cyanide must be conclusively established. It is also calling for produce from the affected area to be tested and for authorities to determine how such a highly restricted chemical entered the environment.

This tragedy is about more than the loss of 15 elephants. It highlights the increasingly complex relationship between wildlife, agriculture and the communities living alongside Kenya's elephants.

We need answers. We need accountability. And we need solutions that protect both elephants and the people who share their habitat.

As this investigation continues, we will keep following developments and advocating for a future where elephants can live safely alongside people. 🐘



Mara Elephant Project Kenya Wildlife Service

Read the Article: https://nation.africa/kenya/counties/kajiado/kajiado-county-disputes-kws-elephant-death-toll-declares-amboseli-a-one-health-emergency-5547950?utm_source=african-elephant-news.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=august-7-2026&_bhlid=88d2fb802fcc3a8ced14a34a5187e3eff6ce83e7

08/07/2026

🚨 UPDATE FROM AMBOSELI, KENYA

The investigation into the deaths of at least 15 elephants in the Amboseli ecosystem is raising even more urgent questions.
The Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA) is calling for a comprehensive, transparent, multi-agency investigation into the presence of highly toxic cyanide found in preliminary tests of the elephants.

While authorities have suspected that the elephants may have consumed contaminated tomatoes from nearby farms, the KVA says the source of the cyanide must be conclusively established. It is also calling for produce from the affected area to be tested and for authorities to determine how such a highly restricted chemical entered the environment.

This tragedy is about more than the loss of 15 elephants. It highlights the increasingly complex relationship between wildlife, agriculture and the communities living alongside Kenya's elephants.

We need answers. We need accountability. And we need solutions that protect both elephants and the people who share their habitat.

As this investigation continues, we will keep following developments and advocating for a future where elephants can live safely alongside people. 🐘



Kenya Wildlife Service Mara Elephant Project

Read the Article:

The association wants authorities to trace the cyanide source and reassure the public on food safety.

12/10/2025

World Elephant Day is deeply saddened by the passing of Sir Iain Douglas-Hamilton, a visionary whose impact on elephant conservation has been felt around the world. He devoted his entire life to the protection of elephants. Beginning in 1965, he became a pilot to record elephant's migratory paths, and continuing through his founding of Save the Elephants in 1993, his work became a pillar of modern conservation.

We honour his extraordinary legacy and the profound influence he had on conservation efforts everywhere. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and colleagues who were touched by his brilliance, generosity, and unwavering commitment to elephants.

(Photo of World Elephant Day Founder Patricia Sims with Sir Iain Douglas-Hamilton in 2012)