Elephant Day Celebrated At S.V. Zoological Park

TIRUPATI: S.V. Zoological Park in Tirupati celebrated Elephant Day on Tuesday with an interactive programme aimed at sensitising school children to the conservation needs of the gentle giants.

Students from Veritas Sainik School participated in the event, which highlighted the ecological, cultural and historical significance of elephants in India.

During the programme, officials explained that India’s wild elephant population has been facing a steady decline in several regions, primarily due to the shrinking of natural habitats caused by deforestation, rapid urbanisation and the expansion of agricultural land. They pointed out that fragmented habitats force elephants to stray into human settlements in search of food and water, often leading to human-elephant conflicts that result in casualties on both sides.

Poaching for ivory, despite being banned, continues to threaten the species, while infrastructure projects such as highways and railway lines across traditional elephant corridors have increased the risk of accidents.

Officials underlined the impact of climate change, which is altering vegetation patterns and water availability in elephant habitats, further emphasising the need for proactive conservation.

The Elephant Task Force, set up to address these challenges, makes efforts to restore elephant habitats, secure wildlife corridors and improve community participation in conservation efforts.

On the occasion, children offered fruits and vegetables to the elephants housed in the park. “Such activities help nurture empathy in young minds and create a sense of responsibility towards wildlife,” said assistant conservator of forests Ch. Nagabhushanam.

Assistant curator M. Jagadeesh Chandra Prasad and park staff coordinated the programme, which is part of the nationwide World Elephant Day organised every year on August 12 to draw attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants.