World Elephant Day: Inside The Lives Of India's Gentle Giants

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Every August 12, the world pauses to honour its gentle giants — elephants — and renew the fight to protect them from poaching, shrinking forests and cruelty

World Elephant Day August 12
A mahout stands on an elephant as it splashes water while bathing in a water body at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district of Assam, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. | Photo: PTI
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World Elephant Day
A herd of wild elephants, including calves, rests at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
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World Elephant Day 2026
A herd of wild elephants stops traffic while crossing a national highway on a rainy day as they head towards the forest, in Alipurduar, West Bengal, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. | Photo: PTI
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International Elephant Day
A personnel sprays water to bathe elephants on the World Elephant Day, in Shivamogga, Karnataka, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. | Photo: PTI
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World Elephant Day history and significance
A herd of wild elephants, including calves, near a water body at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
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Why do we celebrate World Elephant Day
Wild elephants walk under the shade of trees at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. | Photo: PTI/Kunal Patil
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Save the elephants
People take elephant rides at Amer Fort, in Jaipur, Tuesday, Aug, 11, 2026. | Photo: PTI
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Elephant conservation
Elephants stand inside their enclosure, at National Zoological Park, in New Delhi, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026. | Photo: PTI/Kamal Kishore
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Protect endangered elephants
Minister for Implementation of Assam Accord Atul Bora bottle-feeds an elephant calf during his visit to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) at Borjuri near Kaziranga National Park, in Golaghat district of Assam, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. | Photo: PTI
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Stop ivory trade and poaching
A man feeds an elephant as it moves along the road with its mahout, in Rajkot, Gujarat, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. | Photo: PTI

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