The post All you need to know about World Elephant Day appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Over the years, the initiative gained extensive support from celebrities, politicians and others.
World Elephant Day 2021: History
On August 12, 2012, the first World Elephant Day was observed, highlighting the plight of Asian and African elephants. The Thai-based Elephant Reintroduction Foundation, in collaboration with Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims, organized the event for the day. And since 2012, The Sims has been a leader in World Elephant Day.
The day also focuses on spreading awareness about their preservation and protection. Notably, various threats including, poaching, habitat loss, mistreatment in captivity hover over elephants, especially Asian and African.
Over the years, Canadian filmmaker Patricia Sims’s charitable organisation World Elephant Society has educated many and has also created awareness on an international level for elephant protection.
The Society works in partnership with 100 elephant conservation organisations. Several organisations and individuals are urged to come together to raise awareness about the challenges that elephants face.
The organization’s “unbiased” approach allows and encourages campaigns by all groups and citizens under the common umbrella of “World Elephant Day”.
World Elephant Day 2021: Significance
According to recent data of WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), there are roughly 440,000 elephants left on the planet. The WWF also revealed that every year around 15,000 elephants are hunted by poachers. It is not only our responsibility to take measures for their conservation but also create awareness about the possible ‘Elephant Extinction.’
Meanwhile, despite being cultural and religious icons in India, elephants are badly treated by unschooled mahouts. Many elephants fell prey to electrocution, train accidents, poaching and poisoning.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the number of wild Asiatic elephants has dipped below 50,000, which is just 15% of its historic average. Wild Asiatic elephants are primarily found in India and in some parts of Southeast Asia.
World Elephant Day 2021: Support the cause
To observe World Elephant Day, Blue Dart will plant 1,031,170 trees for elephants on the outskirts of Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in East Singhbum, Jharkhand. While Grow-Trees.com is planting millions of trees in Singhbhum Elephant Reserve, Jharkhand to repair fragmented migration routes, create sheltered and screened areas for elephants and expand habitats.
World Elephant Day 2021: Theme
This theme for this year’s World Elephant Day has not been announced, however, last year it was ‘Haathi Hamara Saathi.’
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]]>The post Animals have not remained untouched by the viral infection : Study appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>Researchers analysed the samples collected after the pandemic began in what could be the first detection of the virus in a wild animal population. Researchers targeted white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, for sero-surveillance based on evidence that these deer have receptors with a high affinity for SARS-CoV-2.
The study published in yet to be peer-reviewed preprint on bioRxiv states that antibodies were detected in 40 per cent of the samples suggesting that white-tailed deer have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2.
“It’s an intriguing observation but still needs to be interpreted with caution,” Nature quoted Aaron Irving, an infectious diseases researcher at Zhejiang University in Haining, China as saying.
Previous laboratory experiments had shown that the deer can become infected with SARS-CoV-2 and transmit the virus to other deer. The findings are raising concerns over the possibility of animal populations harbouring the SARS CoV-2 virus as reservoirs, even after humans are vaccinated. Researchers fear that these reservoirs of viruses could allow Covid-19 to spread to other species and back to people.
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]]>The post Peta writes a letter requesting the removal of Section 28 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 appeared first on The Edge Media.
]]>In its letter, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, requested to remove Section 28 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, which allows any animal to be killed in any manner required by any religion.
The central government is currently in the process of amending the Act.
In April, Peta India had submitted its recommendations to the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), which included recommending a ban on animal sacrifice.
“The exemption given for animal sacrifice goes against the very purpose of the PCA Act, as it causes unnecessary pain and suffering to animals and is now outdated in a modern society,” said the animal rights organisation.
The post Peta writes a letter requesting the removal of Section 28 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 appeared first on The Edge Media.
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