Elephant Appreciation Day

What the day is

Elephant Appreciation Day is observed on September 22. It celebrates elephants, the largest land animals on Earth, and draws attention to the pressures facing them. The origin of the day is not clearly documented. It is separate from World Elephant Day, which is held on August 12.

Elephants capture attention through size and intelligence. An adult African savanna elephant can weigh as much as six tons, and its trunk contains tens of thousands of muscle bundles, making it strong enough to uproot a tree and delicate enough to pick up a single peanut.

Origin and background

There are three living species. The African savanna elephant and the African forest elephant live in sub-Saharan Africa, and the Asian elephant lives in South and Southeast Asia. In 2021 the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which keeps the global list of threatened species, listed the savanna elephant as endangered and the forest elephant as critically endangered, mainly because of poaching for ivory and the loss of habitat as human settlement spreads.

Elephants live in family groups led by an older female, the matriarch, and they have good memories, a strong capacity for grief and complex ways of communicating, including low rumbles that travel long distances through the ground. A calf is born after a pregnancy of about twenty-two months, the longest of any land mammal. In a study published in 2006, an Asian elephant at the Bronx Zoo passed a mirror test by recognizing a mark on her own head, a sign of self-awareness shared by only a few species.

Protecting elephants means protecting land, and organizations work on anti-poaching patrols, corridors that link habitats and efforts to reduce conflict with farmers.

How to take part

• Donate to a reputable elephant conservation group, or adopt an elephant symbolically through one.
• Never buy ivory or products made from it, and learn how to spot illegal trade.
• Visit an accredited zoo or a sanctuary that does not offer rides or performances.
• Watch a documentary about elephant families and their behavior.
• Help a child draw an elephant, and learn the differences between African and Asian ears.