/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/0d/b6/0db6e130-cd2f-4b60-9373-01caa3e616fe/1_-_94e89c73-ba27-4565-9744-d91c216872ee.jpg "15 Playful and Powerful Photos to Celebrate World Elephant Day")
August 12 is World Elephant Day, which has been celebrated since 2012 as a time to support elephant conservation and raise awareness about their plight. Some of the world’s most recognizable animals, with their distinct ears, protruding tusks and large trunks, wild elephants are most often found in the savannas and deserts of Africa and Asia. However, climate change and the ivory trade have threatened their homelands and decreased their numbers.
They say that elephants never forget. On this World Elephant Day, let’s remember why we want them to stick around. Take a look.
A small herd of elephants wade through the shallow waters of the Okavango Delta, where cheetahs, white rhinoceroses, black rhinoceroses, African wild dogs and lions also roam. Leighton Lum, Botswana, 2022
An elephant peeks through the trunk of another, which perfectly frames its big, brown eye. Prelena Soma Owen, Botswana, 2016/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/7e/49/7e49797d-94b3-447f-838f-63fd09d1d520/3_-_482f5575-e1f4-4c5e-bd57-9a940d232687.jpg)
The sun sets as a herd of elephants walks across the dry earth. Saurabh Dhanorkar, Kenya, 2022/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/8d/51/8d51384c-fceb-4fe7-a308-378f670b83cd/4_-_12e861db-8384-4ac1-84f5-915fac7b52e0.jpg)
An elephant takes a drink along the shores of Lake Kariba, which is littered with the remains of dead trees reduced to skeletons. Marco Poggioni, Zimbabwe, 2022/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/71/73/71730fc4-1168-43a3-ae05-5fa7ff85ab19/5_-_6fade356-0f23-455b-bc1d-2028a6e2cc9a.jpg)
The world has lost about 90 percent of its African elephants in the past century. Subramanian Sridharan, Kenya, 2021/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/fc/9a/fc9a0ae4-6be8-440c-b39c-92e78e32f3e8/6_-_e3957b4b-0341-47bd-8875-80f5fead50ae.jpg)
Two elephants kick up dust as a herd of wildebeests and a lone giraffe graze nearby. Simon Smith, Kenya, 2023/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/65/db/65dbd486-8565-4577-8490-e94d76949c42/7_-_095ca2a4-60d4-472a-b2e2-a5ec5ce5ecf6.jpg)
Two elephants head-to-head form a heart. Madhusudan Hari, Kenya, 2020/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/56/0b/560bbcdd-948f-4077-ac65-78a2ed403a21/8_-_2ee8b026-5203-4c1e-aad6-13155167dfd8.jpg)
Sunlight pierces the clouds to illuminate an acacia tree and a family of elephants. Jie Xu, Kenya, 2023/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/44/c7/44c726f1-6407-4378-aa1b-7c53d283e72e/9_-_70930437-fc0f-415e-be1b-0db6777072e9.jpg)
Because the soil in Tsavo West National Park is red, most elephants there are covered in a colorful layer of dust. Abisai Alvarez, Kenya, 2022/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/b1/e9/b1e95588-c42d-413b-a00a-3d788cf2b60b/10_-_a5973a4e-c45d-4237-b2db-9caae5702394.jpg)
An elephant flares its ears as it moves with its herd through the desert. Thomas Vijayan, Kenya, 2019/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/c0/67/c0677a5e-e862-48ad-9b12-b7e8d9c99244/11_-_fb863319-20c8-4e0c-8d35-0fa276f8af30.jpg)
Walking along the terrain of the northern Namib Desert, elephants cast large shadows that nearly dwarf their actual size. Alessandra Meniconzi, Namibia, 2022/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/e7/b5/e7b57c2f-3934-45b3-9fb8-1b19325cb487/12_-_05cda7c1-dd34-4999-90b6-7fba9c3543ac.jpg)
These two elephants are either sharing or fighting over a snack at the Elephant Nature Park sanctuary. David Fagerlie, Thailand, 2023/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/81/da/81da9138-8b58-47d5-a77c-1655911e6be5/13_-_ad7582dd-e838-4027-a212-92f21e0521e6.jpg)
Clouds fail to conceal the peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro as a herd of elephants walks across the plain below. Subramanian Sridharan, Kenya, 2021/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/01/42/0142ce21-dc5c-4537-9045-409894fd11c0/14_-_85e9ba38-d37e-4bc8-ad6e-ca23f375930c.jpg)
An active rainy season replenishes Amboseli National Park, bringing fresh water and vegetation for elephants and other animals. Nicolas Urlacher, Kenya, 2023/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/6d/6a/6d6a6f4c-90cd-4262-bcd9-9693f529795a/15_-_06968a24-d538-43e7-9825-21737d63715b.jpg)
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