August 12 is World Elephant Day, a time for awareness and celebration of these magnificent, endangered creatures.  Some of the most significant dangers to elephants include being exploited for entertainment and being hunted for ivory.  People who wish to protect elephants are encouraged to

• Avoid circuses that make elephants “entertain” the crowd, usually with “tricks” learned from abusive training, including the use of bullhooks. A few of the many circuses that do not exploit animals are Cirque de Soliel, Gandey’s Circus, and Circus Vargas.
• Do not participate in hunting elephants.
• Avoid tourist activities with elephants, such as feeding, washing, and riding. Even activities that seem harmless may rely on cruel training, hurt the elephant, or involve unnatural behaviors.
• Entirely avoid involvement in the highly restricted elephant ivory trade.

For this and more information, please visit https://www.worldanimalprotection.org/our-campaigns/sentience/animal-awareness-days/world-elephant-day.

Happy World Elephant Day!

–Elizabeth Decoux