Elephant Appreciation Day
About Elephant Appreciation Day
When is Elephant Appreciation Day Celebrated? This holiday is always observed on September 22
Elephants are absolutely amazing. They are huge, lumbering, and fascinating beasts, the largest land animal alive today. Today is Elephant Appreciation Day, a September 22 holiday. So, show us how much you care about them. This is a big, elephant-sized day. We feel it should be celebrated in a big way.
Little kids and big kids are fascinated by elephants. In a zoo, in the circus, or in a wildlife special on television, they captivate us by their sheer size. Today is your chance to let them see that you appreciate them. Showing your appreciation for them begins with a visit to your local zoo. They will be happy to see you. Donating their support is a great way to show your appreciation.
Here’s a neat suggestion. …..Show these pachyderms at your local zoo how much you love them, by serving them a special treat. They like pumpkins! They like big pumpkins. See elephants munching on big pumpkins.
Did You Know? Elephants are capable of swimming 20 miles a day.
Our Favorite Elephant Movie: Dumbo (1941)
Elephant Appreciation Day Trivia
Expand your knowledge of these fantastic animals with the trivia and fun facts below.
- Elephants are the largest living land animal in the world.
- They are classified as a pachyderm. Other members of this family include hippopotamus, rhinoceros, and tapirs.
- They are herbivores and spend much of their day eating. They spend about 16 hours a day eating leaves, grasses, fruit, and a variety of other vegetation.
- There are three species of elephants: the African Savannah elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant.
- There are an estimated 450,000 elephants in existence today. The numbers have been dropping steadily.
- A pregnancy takes 22 months from conception to birth. It’s the longest gestation period for any mammal.
- A newborn elephant can weigh up to 260 pounds.
- They are born blind.
- The largest is the African Bush Elephant, a sub-species of the African Savannah elephant. It can grow to 24 feet in length, 13 feet in height, and weigh up to 11 tons.
- They can’t jump. Can you imagine if they did?
- Their trunk alone weighs about 400 pounds.
- They hug their trunks to say “Hello” to each other.
- Their ears are shaped like the continent of Africa.
- They live 50 to 70 years.
- They recognize themselves in a mirror.
- They are afraid of bees.
How to Celebrate Elephant Appreciation Day
- First, sometime during this holiday go to the zoo and see them.
- Of course, if you have the opportunity to go on a safari, you’re in for a real treat.
- By all means, read a book about them.
- Watch a television documentary on elephants. You can find them online, too.
- Before the day is over, share pictures of them on social media.
- Make a donation to help to support them in the wild.
- Look into ways big and small, that you can help protect them and their natural habitat.
- Give a stuffed elephant to a child.
Today's Quote
“When you’ve got an elephant by the hind legs and he’s trying to run away, it’s best to let him run.” – – Abraham Lincoln
History and Origin of Elephant Appreciation Day
Mission Media Inc. created this day in 1996, largely because these pachyderms are ….large. (and a whole lot of other great things.) The founder, Wayne Hepburn, received a paperweight of elephants on parade from his daughter as a gift. Then, because fo this gift, he became fascinated by them. After that, he amassed a huge collection of elephant books and paraphernalia. His fascination and love of achyderms, led to the creation of this day so you and I can stop and enjoy this huge, lumbering beast.
This Day in History
Additionally, here are some other things that happened on this day:
- The last people in the U.S. are hanged for witchcraft in Salem, MA. (1692)
- The record for drinking Ketchup belongs to Dustin Phillips (USA). On this day, he drank a 14 oz. bottle of Ketchup through a 1/4″ straw in 33 seconds. (1999)
- MLB baseball manager Tommy Lasorda was born on this day in 1927.
Related Days
Without a doubt, people who like this holiday will also like:
Save the Elephant Day – It’s a day to educate people on the plight of these pachyderms. And, it encourages you to help.
More September 22 Holidays
Besides Elephant Appreciation Day, here are more September 22 holidays for you to celebrate and enjoy:
More About Today
This Day in History – Indeed, many other important events occurred on this date. See what happened on this date in history.
Famous September Birthdays – Did you ever wonder what famous people share your birth date? If so, then find out now!
Recipe of the Day: Homemade Peanut Butter
Also See: Fall Recipes and Holiday Recipes
Flower of the Day: Elephant Ears
Ecards Send a free Ecard daily for just about any September calendar holiday, occasion, observance, or event. Or, just for the fun of it!
Holiday Insights, where every day in September is a holiday, a bizarre or wacky day, an observance, or a special event. Join us in the daily calendar fun each and every day of the year.
Did You Know? Furthermore, in addition to Elephant Appreciation Day, there are literally thousands of daily holidays, special events, and observances, more than one for every day of the year. Moreover, many of these holidays are new. People and organizations are creating new holidays on a regular basis. September holidays are no exception. At Holiday Insights, we take great efforts to thoroughly research and document the details of each one, as completely and accurately as possible.