World Elephant Day is noticed each year on August 12 to feature the significance of elephants and spread mindfulness how to preserve and protect them. This is the way to bring the world together to help elephants.
Elephants are intriguing animals. Being the largest of all land mammals on Earth, many aspects of their enormous anatomy are a wellspring of awe itselves. Before we start, let’s remind our readers that essentially, there are two species of elephants – the African elephant and the Asian elephant. The African elephant can be divided into two subspecies – the forest elephants and the savannah elephants.
Some fascinating realities about the anatomy of elephants:
- Adult elephants spend around 16 hours eating daily – they need up to 300 kg of food and 160 litres of water every day
- The African elephant has the most comprehensive brain in the animal kingdom – it can weigh up to 5 kg!
“Elephants have the largest brains of any mammal on the face of the Earth…”
– Ingrid Newkirk.
3. Asian elephants weigh about 5400 kg and African elephants up to 6000 kg!
4. Elephants are the only mammal that can’t hop.
Some interesting facts about elephant senses and social behaviour:
- Elephants have small eyes and poor vision, yet they compensate for this with their astonishing smelling capability! An elephant can smell water from up to 12 miles away.
- Elephants communicate with one another using sound, touch and scent. Their hearing is astounding…they can hear a trumpeting call from up to 5 miles away.
- They are a vital type of seed dispersal. Elephant compost frequently contains undigested seeds that are then spread generally around the space as they travel. These seeds are too big for smaller animals to eat, making elephants a crucial transporter for these plants.
- Their large foot impressions can make profound openings for water to gather in. The wide path that they cut through the vegetation as they travel through the scene can likewise go about as fire breakers.
In the following rundown, let’s introduce our readers to some excellent Elephant Sanctuaries in India, and we guarantee that, whether you are elephant lover or not, you’ll find them worth visiting:
- Singhbhum Elephant Reserve: First Elephant Sanctuary in India
Perhaps the first Elephant Reserve in India, this green expanse was founded in 2001 in Jharkhand. It is situated in the East and West Singhbhum and Saraikela-Kharsawan Districts. The reserve covers a vast area, even including the entire Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary. Various elephants can be seen as you travel through the lush woods, going about their daily life. Not just that, you’re probably going to get a brief look at numerous different creatures, including sloth bears, yapping deer or even reptiles. The region is connected to the close by Palamau Tiger Reserve, and even though it has happened seldom, in case you’re lucky you may even sight a tiger here.
- Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve
The Similipal-Kuldiha-Hadgarh Elephant Reserve also called the Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve is a wonderful region in Orissa. With a high populace of magnificent elephants meandering its woods, this spot is an absolute necessary visit to observe their protection endeavours. However, that isn’t all, as the whole region flaunts huge and fluctuated fauna. Sparkling cascades, lavish green backwoods, and verdant forests make for a delightful and grand experience. Witness an elephant at its ablutions or a deer shooting by, and in case you’re fortunate, you can even see some moving peacocks here.
- Anamudi Elephant Reserve
The Anamudi Elephant Reserve is a sloping woodland landscape that houses various elephants close to different species. Here one can see solid elephants uninhibitedly moving about amid the rich vegetation. With more than 275 unique types of verdure nearby, it is a delightful spot for any nature enthusiast. Creatures like tigers, panthers, jaguars, buffalo, Nilgiri tahr, deer, sambar, langurs, sloth bears, flying squirrels, wild pigs and numerous others meander here just like elephants.
Aashi is a working PR professional who enjoys a good amount of her free time reading, cooking, and taking care of her 2 dogs.