World Elephant Day 2027 is on Thursday

About World Elephant Day

Both African and Asian elephants are under serious pressure from poaching for ivory, the loss and breaking up of their habitat, and conflict with people as farms and settlements spread into elephant ranges. The day also looks at elephants in captivity, including how they are treated in tourism, and at efforts to return captive elephants to protected natural areas where that is possible.

The idea took shape in 2011 among Canadian filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark and Thailand's Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, a charity set up in 2002 as a royal initiative of Queen Sirikit to release captive elephants into protected forests. Sims and the foundation officially launched World Elephant Day on August 12, 2012, and Sims continues to lead it.

World Elephant Day is not a UN observance. It relies on zoos, wildlife groups, conservation organizations and individuals who hold events and share information around the date. Its stated goals include stronger enforcement against the ivory trade, better protection of wild habitat, better treatment of captive elephants, and reintroducing captive elephants to sanctuaries when it is appropriate.

Sources: World Elephant Day, World Elephant Day: Elephant Reintroduction Foundation. How we check dates.

How to mark World Elephant Day

• Learn how African savanna, African forest and Asian elephants differ, and the main threats each faces.
• Never buy ivory or items that might contain it, including antiques of uncertain origin, and check import rules before traveling.
• If you travel to see elephants, choose places where they can roam freely and that don't offer rides or shows.
• Support an elephant conservation or anti-poaching group with a donation or by sharing its work.
• Watch a documentary about elephants with family or students and talk about how people can help them.

World Elephant Day dates