World Elephant Day: PM Narendra Modi appreciates community efforts, says elephant numbers are on the rise

World Elephant Day: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the occassion of World Elephant Day, acknowledged community efforts towards preserving and protecting elephants in India.

In a post on social media site X (formerly known as Twitter), Modi wrote, "World Elephant Day is an occasion to appreciate the wide range of community efforts to protect elephants."

He also reaffirmed the government's commitment to ensuring that elephants remain protected in India, adding, “At the same time, we reaffirm our commitment to doing everything possible to ensure elephants get a conducive habitat where they can thrive. For us in India, the elephant is linked to our culture and history, too. And it’s gladdening that over the last few years, their numbers have been on the rise.”

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, also took to X, to voice the state's priority to safeguard “jumbos in the wild” and shared a success story on the same.

“Govt of Assam prioritizes safety of our jumbos in the wild. We have taken various steps to secure their habitats, provide safe passage and helping them in testing times. Today, on World Elephant Day, sharing one of the recent success stories in elephant rescue & rehabilitation,” he wrote.

World Elephant Day

Since 2012, World Elephant Day is celebrated every year on August 12 to bring awareness to the status of Asian and African elephants in the wild.

Notably, India accounts for around 60 per cent of world's Asian elephant population, with the number of elephant reserves having risen over the past years. As per the 2017 census, the estimated wild population in India was 27,312 individuals. There are around 138 identified elephant corridors in the country.

The World Elephant Day was conceived by three individuals — Canadian filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark of Canazwest Pictures; and Sivaporn Dardarananda, Secretary-General of the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation in Thailand, in 2011.

Patricia Sims founded, supported and launched the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation on August 12, 2012, and the awareness day has since been marked globally by organisations and governments. Today, the World Elephant Day is recognized and celebrated by more than 100 wildlife organizations.

Estimates place the global elephant population at 400,000 in Africa and 40,000 in Asia — though these figures are disputed to be much lower.