World Elephant Day

Wild elephant in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India. Photo by Chris Raven
On August 12, 2012, the inaugural World Elephant Day was launched to bring attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants. The elephant is loved, revered and respected by people and cultures around the world, yet we balance on the brink of seeing the last of this magnificent creature. 15,000 to 20,000 elephants are being poached and killed every year.

The escalation of poaching, habitat loss, human-elephant conflict and mistreatment in captivity are just some of the threats to both African and Asian elephants. Working towards better protection for wild elephants, improving enforcement policies to prevent the illegal poaching and trade of ivory, conserving elephant habitats, better treatment for captive elephants and, when appropriate, reintroducing captive elephants into natural, protected sanctuaries are the goals that numerous elephant conservation organizations are focusing on around the world.

World Elephant Day asks you to experience elephants in non-exploitive and sustainable environments where elephants can thrive under care and protection. On World Elephant Day, August 12, express your concern, share your knowledge and support solutions for the better care of captive and wild elephants alike.

www.worldelephantday.org

Enjoy witnessing these beautiful animals in the wild in Africa and Asia. If you are heading to these parts of the world soon why not download the eBook version of Lonely Planet's PDF Africa & Southeast Asia guidebook.

Africa travel guide

Coverage includes: Planning chapters, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé & Príncipe, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Somaliland, Tanzania, Uganda, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Understand and Survival chapters.

India travel guide

Coverage includes: Planning chapters, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, the Taj Mahal, Uttarakhand, Kolkata, West Bengal, Darjeeling, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Northeast States, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Mumbai, Karnataka, Bengaluru, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Andaman Islands, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Understand and Survival chapters.

Don’t forget the offer of 3 for 2 across all formats

Click here to visit the Lonely Planet shop for more ebooks and print versions.