Who is this Baby Elephant playing with?
This cute baby elephant has chosen very special playmates. On a street in the Kruger National Park in South Africa he plays happily catching a swarm of swallows flying around him. But as much as he criss-crosses, the birds are always faster. At some point the little one will have enough and joins his flock again.
Not all elephants can enjoy life like this: On the occasion of today World Elephant Day The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) points out that an elephant dies every 15 minutes worldwide. Poachers are after the precious ivory of their tusks.
The illegal trade in wildlife products is one of the "most lucrative illegal businesses worldwide" with an estimated annual turnover of 19 billion US dollars. In addition, the habitats for elephants continue to shrink.
The hashtag #weltelefantentag today tweets around the world to draw attention to the situation of the gentle giants.
Töröö! Today is # World Elephant Day! RT @WWF_Photo Catch me if you can! Facts about #Elephants: //t.co/JodLur1sN4 pic.twitter.com/PdkccksN7Y
? WWF Germany (@WWF_Germany) August 12, 2014It is estimated that there are only 500,000 elephants left worldwide, especially in Africa and Asia. As SWRInfo reports, more elephants than born each year since 2011 every year.
Many animal welfare organizations are committed to protecting the largest land mammal in the world - including the baby elephants among them: Per Crowfdunding, for example, can support a sponsored project for orphaned baby elephants.
More information: Special topic elephants at GEO
Elephants certainly do not forget who helped them. Our project for the # World Elephant Day: //t.co/O65GWKdBbM #Elefanten Orphan
? betterplace.org (@betterplace_org) August 12, 2013
