01/08/2026
Happy August!
August 12th is World Elephant Day, an international annual event dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants.
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Did you know....?
π There are three extant species of elephants: Indian, African savannah, and African forest
π You can tell African and Indian elephants apart by the shape of their ears. African elephants have Africa shaped ears and Indian elephants' ears have a shape similar to India!
π Elephants are the largest land mammals in the world, with adult African males standing 3 metres tall and weighing up to 6 tonnes
π Elephants live in matriarchal societies, with the oldest, wisest female leading the group and imparting her knowledge to her extended family
π Around 90% of African elephants have been wiped out in the past century - largely due to the ivory trade - leaving an estimated 415,000 wild elephants alive today.
Asian elephants are also under threat, having declined by at least 50% in the last three generations. There are only around 48,000β52,000 individuals left in the wild. As their habitat changes, fragments and is lost to human settlements and agriculture, populations of Asian elephants are finding it harder to follow their traditional migration routes to reach water, feeding and breeding grounds, and theyβre coming into often dangerous contact with people.
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Celebrated in the window this month are:
Elmer, the patchwork elephant; The Straw Elephant from Bagpuss; Bump, the clumsy baby elephant; Babar, King of the Elephants; Doris, the shy elephant who just wants to hide in the crowd; and finally, Dumbo, the circus elephant who is ridiculed for the size of his ears.
Which of these Elephants do you know? Who is your favourite?