African savanna elephants in Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa

© Robert Harding/Alam

Protecting wildlife today and tomorrow

For World Wildlife Conservation Day, we're dropping in to visit a herd of African elephants at Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa. Established in 1931 to protect a small herd of just 11 African elephants, today Addo ranks as third largest of the 19 national parks in South Africa. It provides a safe haven for about 600 of these magnificent creatures, as well as Cape buffaloes, various antelope species, lions, hyenas, and endangered black rhinos.

The organizers of World Wildlife Conservation Day aim to raise awareness about the need to protect wildlife from illegal trafficking in animal parts and products. Because animal trafficking is the most immediate threat to wild elephants, tigers, and rhinos, they encourage people to pledge to avoid products derived from wildlife. Consider the African elephant. Both species—the African savanna elephant (like these) and the smaller African forest elephant—have long been targets of poachers for their ivory tusks. Although millions of elephants once roamed Africa, today only an estimated 400,000 remain.