August 12th every year is the World Elephant Day, and also Thailand's Mother's Day.
Elephant is one of the symbols of Thailand for a long time. We should have a good relationship with them. However, did you know that from 100,000 elephants in the last century, now there are only 2,000 left! The worldwide population of elephants has been falling sharply as well: from 10 millions to less than 500,000.
Even though they have listed on IUCN's Endangered Species for over 30 years, but its number has never been increased.
The whole elephant is killed just for their ivory to make luxurious jewellery and furniture.
Calves are taken for cruel training for hard work.
Some are brought to the wealth as a pet.
Some are displayed for show, the joy of human, but force them of their nature and feeling. A lot become an illegal labour, carrying logs, to sadly destroy their own home.
The shockingly less and less forest areas is another main factor making elephants unable to find food, less newborn rate, smaller herds, until the elephants all over the world continue frighteningly disappearing.
“If elephants were gone, so what? It's just one animal.”
Unknowningly said, elephants are the King of Forest.
They are enormous, but gentle, not hunting, not hurting other animals, as well as creating several benefits, they are definitely the Virtuous King.
Being the largest land creature, they can maintain the ecosystem and are the indicator of how prosperous the forest is. Their herbivore diet can help the diversity and balance of plants from their rich faeces.
Walking through the forests, they make clearer pathways so that smaller animals can go around finding food and water easier.
In the dry season, while searching for water, they create new waterways to help the thirst of their fellow friends.
When they seek for salt licks, essential for the mineral intakes, digging to get deeper ones can benefit other animals as they need.
The healthy elephants means the healthy animals, healthy forests, healthy environment, healthy world, and certainly healthy human, so it is not a far issue from us at all.
We don't need to work hard for them through the jungle or go as far to adopt one. Just don't support products from elephants. Don't see an elephant show.
Save the forests. Stop using materials harmful to nature.
Help the conservation centres that let elephants live their natural life, studying their life. You can join.
Very easy, isn't it? Let's help!
Elephants are wise. They have family, have society, have feelings, not that different from us.
Exception is that they have helped protect the forests… Shouldn't we have done that already, too?
Don't make Elephant be left only the name and picture for our children.
ACTs Of Green
ONE SMALL CHANGE
-can make-
ONE BIG DIFFERENCE
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