National Elephant Appreciation Day is a holiday to celebrate and honor one of the largest land mammals on Earth today. It’s not only a day to appreciate these magnificent creatures, but it’s also a good day to think about what each of us can do to protect these animals before they disappear from the planet altogether.

And no one wants these majestic creatures to disappear from the world. This day falls on September 22 every year, so anyone interested in these large mammals might want to consider celebrating this holiday.

The History of National Elephant Appreciation Day

This holiday can be traced back to 1996. This is when Mission Media, a publishing and media company, decided to invent this day. They did it because the company’s owner, Mr. Wayne Hepburn, developed a personal fascination with elephants and wanted to celebrate them.

As the story goes, his daughter gave him an elephant paperweight that sparked his interest in these mammoth mammals. We’re unsure of the accuracy of this story, but it is one of the more common origin stories surrounding this holiday.

Facts About Elephants

Below are some facts about elephants that everyone can appreciate. The following facts illustrate just how fascinating and amazing these large land mammals are and why it’s important that everyone takes the steps necessary to keep them safe.

• Elephants are the largest land mammals in the world.
• Different elephant species can be distinguished by their ears.
• Elephants have approximately 150,000 muscles in their trunks.
• The thickness of an elephant’s skin is approximately 2.5 cm in most areas of their bodies.
• Elephants have to consume 150 kilograms of food per day to stay alive.
• Elephants can spend up to 75% of their day eating to achieve the daily calories they need.
• Elephant calves can stand up within 20 minutes of being born.
• More elephants are being poached for their ivory than are being born.
• Elephants take dust and mud baths to protect themselves from sunburn.
• Every elephant produces about a ton of poo per week — poo that helps to keep the landscape fertile.

How to Celebrate National Elephant Appreciation Day

Doing anything elephant-related is a great way to celebrate this holiday. That includes reading a book about elephants, visiting elephants at the zoo, or making elephant arts and crafts. It’s also a good day to donate to one of the many wildlife organizations that are dedicated to protecting these animals.

This includes organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and Save The Elephants. Participants can also shout out their support for this holiday by using the hashtag #NationalElephantAppreciationDay on social media sites.