Elephant Day

But wasn't that progress too, that the elephants were killed off like the mastodon and giant rhino before them, like all other wildlife and wild places? 'We can't stop time,' MacAdam said. 'But you can change the way it goes,' Nehemiah insisted.

? Mike Bond, The Last Savanna

World Elephant Day ( August 12) aims to protect elephants and highlight the critical threats they face.

Elephants are loved and also revered by people of various cultures, yet we have reached a point where we have brought this magnificent creature on the brink of extinction.

We at The Indian School-Second Shift took this opportunity to educate our children about this magnificent creature. We began by informing them about how elephants have always fascinated humans across time and cultures because of their strong family bonds and intelligence. They are capable of feeling a wide range of deep emotions, from intense grief to joy bordering on elation, as well as empathy and stunning self-awareness. Students and teachers discussed key physical and behavioural characteristics of elephants, the critical role they play in maintaining healthy ecosystems, and how to minimise human and elephant conflict.

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The students were informed about simple ways in which they could contribute to preserving elephants, by skipping an elephant ride if given an option while traveling, not attending circuses or any platform where animals are trained to perform. The children were shown pictures of how this training taking place. Training animals often involves tying and beating them daily for months.

The students of class III presented a special assembly on the occasion. The purpose of this assembly was to reiterate the physical beauty of elephants and some shocking incidents, related to elephant mistreatment, cruelty, captivity, abuse and killings. The students depicted this in the form of a newsroom where students shared the various atrocities that the elephant faces due to human callousness. They shared information and pictures as news reports. One of the students played the role of a special guest from the wildlife department! He shared facts relating to the health of elephants and the prohibition of all kinds of inhuman action.

The students of class II presented a dance based on the physical features of the majestic elephant and conveying the message, do not kill me because of my tusks. The assembly concluded with the children asking everyone to join the campaign in the smallest way possible to save the elephant. The assembly saw the whole class participating in the programme and supporting the cause.

It was indeed heartwarming to see how well the kids empathised with the elephant. On hearing about its plight one could see the pain on their faces. They promised that they would never go on elephant rides and ask their parents to stop taking them to the circus. One of them said, I want to grow up to be a wildlife in charge and punish all the people who harm animals! while another wanted to be a vet and treat all the hurt animals for free. The children joined this campaign in spirit and straight from the heart. They made posters and Save the Elephant badges by themselves.

Seeing how the children reacted to such a situation, we think, the only way to solve a problem as grave as this, is not with guns but with education.