They are the biggest living animals on dry land, and are highly intelligent and social animals that can live for up to 70 years of age. Now they have their own special day: Elephant Appreciation Day is Thursday, September 22, 2016.
Mission Media created this commemorative event in 1996, and it started with a small gesture. Wayne Hepburn, owner of Mission Media, was given an elephant paperweight as a gift from his daughter, and his fascination with these large mammals began. Twenty years later, Elephant Appreciation Day has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. Each year, elephant lovers across the globe visit zoos and help spread the word about the plight of this endangered species.
While the African elephant is considered vulnerable by the World Wildlife Federation, their Asian cousins are listed as endangered. Loss of habitat and the illegal ivory harvesting trade are the chief threats to the elephant. The ivory trade depletes the elephant population by an estimated 2 to 3 percent each year. This may not sound like much but the elephant reproduces very slowly and this slaughter can easily outweigh natural population growth.
Help spread the word about the threats to this beloved mammal by celebrating Elephant Appreciation Day this year!
5 Fast Facts about Elephants:
- They are one of the few species, besides humans, who are able to recognize themselves in a mirror. Apes and dolphins have this skill as well.
- They can run up to 35 miles per hour and are remarkably agile for their size.
- It takes a baby elephant about a year to learn to use its trunk properly. This useful appendage contains about 40,000 muscles and tendons and requires a bit of practice to master.
- An elephant’s brain has the largest mass of any land animal. Elephants have their own language and are highly social.
- What about the claim that “an elephant never forgets?” It’s quite possible. The portion of their brain that stores memory, the hippocampus, is very large. Herds follow the oldest female in the group because she has the most memories of where to find food, water, and shelter.
Related to 5 Fast Facts about Elephants: When Elephants Sneeze
Featured Image from Mylon Ollila/Unsplash
