Herd of African elephants in Amboseli National Park, Kenya

© Susan Portnoy/Shutterstoc

World Elephant Day

To celebrate World Elephant Day, our homepage image features African elephants, the largest living land animals. Bull elephants stand a whopping 13ft (4m) tall at the shoulder and they are instantly recognisable from their distinctive trunks and big, flapping ears. African elephants form close family bonds and a herd will rally to protect its members and grieve when one dies. They form a strong, social community over their lifespan of about 60 to 75 years.

Sadly, around 100 of them are killed by poachers every day, their tusks stolen for the illegal ivory trade. The most recent census of African elephants shows their populations decreased by 62% between 2002 and 2011. And this decline continues, it’s feared that elephants could be headed to extinction by the end of the next decade. “I have spent hours and hours watching elephants,” says wildlife biologist Dr Jane Goodall, “and come to understand what emotional creatures they are…. It’s not just a species facing extinction, it’s massive individual suffering.”

The elephant family pictured here lives in Amboseli National Park in Kenya, which is home to more than 1,500 African elephants and the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, which has studied, observed and protected African elephants for 50 years. This World Elephant Day, let’s all find a way to help these majestic beasts and guarantee them a safe, happy future in the wild.