World Elephant Day: Large-scale poaching and ivory trade remain biggest threats

There are about only 27,312 elephants left in India as per a census report from 2017.

Sneha Sharma|Aug 12, 2018, 17:52:14 IST

Once I was common throughout Asia and Africa,and now I'm one of the endangered ones.Cut down my home, killed my family for something called 'Ivory'.I hope it was worth it.The most urgent threat that the elephants are facing these days is the large-scale poaching taking place to fulfill the needs of the illegal ivory trade.There are various organisations working towards putting an end to these villainous acts, such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) which works with TRAFFIC in managing the global record of ivory seizures.[caption id="attachment_4949871" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

Representational image. Reuters.[/caption]But this is not the only reason for the drop in the number of elephants. As the forest cover has been depleting and is being used for human purposes, there has been an increase in the conflict between people and elephants.On the outskirts of the Tesso Nilo Forest, in Indonesia, WWF has trained elephants and local people to form a "flying squad" that helps in driving away rogue elephants away from farms and back in their own habitat.[caption id="attachment_4949851" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

An elephant tusks batch seized from traffickers by Ivorian wildlife agents is pictured in Abidjan, Ivory Coast January 25, 2018. REUTERS/Luc Gnago

An elephant tusks batch seized from traffickers by Ivorian wildlife agents is pictured in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Reuters[/caption]Looking at the need to start conserving these gigantic creatures, the World Elephant Day was co-founded on 12 August 2012 by Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand. Since then the global awareness to save elephants has grown.This day is seen to be as a catalyst to rally in organisations and call out to individuals in order to voice the issues that endanger elephants.World Elephant Day generates a feeling of unity, allowing everyone to work as a single unit, across borders to create an environment where the elephants feel safe and are protected.[caption id="attachment_4949831" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

Representational image. Reuters[/caption]At the turn of the 20th century, there were a few million African elephants and about 1,00,000 Asian elephants. The current estimates tell that there are only about 4,50,000 - 7,00,000 African elephants and between 35,000 - 40,000 wild Asian elephants.According to the report in Elephant Census 2018, there are about only 27,312 elephants left in India as per the census which was taken in 2017.Here are some of the supporters calling out to protect these majestic beasts:

Careless Whispers: Scientists discover that plants can 'talk' to each other using smells

Japanese scientists have recorded a video that shows plants, in certain conditions, communicate with each other using mists that carry smells. The discovery, reveals that plants release a fine mist of airborne compounds, to warn nearby plants of potential dangers

Life on Mars? European Space Agency’s Orbiter discovers ice water deposits at equator

European Space Agency's Mars Express Orbiter has identified massive ice and ice water deposits beneath the surface of Mars. The Mars Express orbiter was also the first to confirmed the presence of ice on Mars in 2004

Microsoft briefly overtakes Apple as the most valuable company, Apple back on top again

At its peak during the session, Microsoft's value reached $2.903 trillion, with a 2% surge. As of writing this article, Apple closed at $2.89 trillion, whereas Microsoft closed at $2.86 trillion

Even NASA is facing a tough time, starts layoffs following major budget cuts

NASA is facing some massive budget cuts, because of which, it has been forced to postpone some upcoming missions. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been hit hard by recent federal budget cuts, resulting in the layoff of 100 contractors last week

ISRO, NASA's NISAR satellite to get ready by Jan-end, will monitor Earth's snow-covered regions

The NISAR satellite which has been developed jointly ISRO and NASA, should be ready for launch by the end of January 2024. The collaboration between NASA and ISRO on NISAR is the first time the two agencies have cooperated on hardware development for an Earth-observing mission

Up Next