The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, together with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and international elephant conservation partners, is proud to celebrate the fifth annual Asian Elephant Awareness Month. Since 2019, Asian Elephant Awareness Month has helped inspire people to learn more about Asian elephants and how to help conserve their populations and habitat. This August, the Zoo invites guests to get involved and tag the Zoo @okczoo and share their favorite elephant pictures and videos with #AsianElephantAwarenessMonth to Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter). In addition to sharing elephant photos and videos, the Zoo invites all elephant fans to head to the Zoo on Saturday, August 3, 2024, for World Elephant Day, a special animal awareness day that celebrates the Zoo’s Asian elephant herd, caretakers, and conservation efforts and research in support of Asian elephants.

The OKC Zoo has been caring for elephants since 1930, and since then the herd has grown significantly. The Zoo currently has a multigenerational elephant herd of eight Asian elephants consisting of males Rex (56), Kandula (23), and Bowie (10), and females Asha (29), Chandra (28), Achara (9), Kairavi (5), and Rama (2). The herd is growing by one trunk as Achara is expecting her first calf in July 2025!  
               World Elephant Day activities are happening from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Attendees can participate in fun activities like the caretaker story time and elephant enrichment presentation, learn about elephant conservation, and adopt their own elephant plush.
               Elephant caretakers will be located at the Elephant Pavilion at Sanctuary Asia at 11:30 a.m. for a fun story time that the whole family can enjoy. “We are excited to bring back story time for World Elephant Day because it connects guests to elephant conservation in a way that can be understood by littles and also adults,” said OKC Zoo’s Elephant Caretaker, Sarah Fairchild. “World Elephant Day occurring during Asian Elephant Awareness Month is special to us because it gives us the opportunity to highlight two amazing conservation efforts for Asian elephants. We invite all of our Zoo guests and elephant fans to learn more about Asian elephants and take action to help protect and conserve this amazing species.”
               Guests can learn more about elephant conservation during the elephant enrichment presentation and will be able ask questions about Asian elephants, how the Zoo cares for this endangered species, and see how elephants engage in their enrichment. If you can’t make it to World Elephant Day, join us virtually at 9:30 a.m. for our live caretaker chat on Facebook @okczoo.
               In addition to the fun events, guests will also be able to adopt their own plush elephant in celebration of Asian Elephant Awareness Month and World Elephant Day by making a $25 donation to Asian elephant conservation through the Oklahoma Zoological Society. During World Elephant Day, guests can purchase elephant-made holiday ornaments at the Zoo by making a $10 donation. These ornaments are crafted from the herd’s browse and painted by the elephants themselves! Proceeds from the plush and ornament donations will support the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction Program for Asian elephants.
              The Zoo is proud to be the only AZA member contributing to Asian elephant conservation in Sri Lanka and leading The Sri Lanka Elephant Project, which promotes elephant conservation, research, and reduction of human-elephant conflict. Dr. Chase LaDue, a conservation scientist from the OKC Zoo, is the project leader for The Sri Lanka Elephant Project and directs a field team in Sri Lanka to collect data on wild elephant behavior and health. The team utilizes a holistic approach to research and conservation, empowering the next generation of Sri Lankan conservationists to engage in sustainable and data-driven conservation initiatives.

“The problems facing elephants are complex, and it is even more important that conservation is based on scientific data, like the information we’re analyzing through our work at The Sri Lanka Elephant Project,” said Dr. LaDue. “Our project also supports and trains Sri Lankan students to become conservationists themselves, and their dedication to wildlife provides hope for sustainable solutions. OKC Zoo’s Round Up for Conservation program provides critical funding for this work, and in this way, Zoo guests can directly support elephant conservation during their visit.”
               The Round Up for Conservation program is the Zoo initiative that was created to help conserve wildlife and wild places, and encourage guests to become everyday conservationists. Guests can contribute to this program by rounding up their purchases to the nearest dollar amount when visiting the Zoo. The Round Up for Conservation program has helped fund programs like the International Elephant Foundation, the Turtle Survival Alliance, and Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
               Asian elephants are native to South and Southeast Asia. Their natural habitats are dwindling due to development of urban and commercial areas, agriculture, and production of unsustainable forms of palm oil. Asian elephant populations are steadily decreasing. Elephant fans can help preserve Asian elephant habitats by shopping for products that contain sustainable palm oil by using the PalmOil Scan app. Simply scan a product’s barcode to see how major manufacturers are sourcing their palm oil ingredients.
               The OKC Zoo is a proud supporter and leader in elephant conservation around the world. Join the Zoo in celebrating World Elephant Day on August 3, rounding up your Zoo purchases to benefit elephant conservation, showing love for Asian elephants on social media with #AsianElephantAwarenessMonth, and learning more about how you can help elephant conservation!  
 

OKC ZOO WORLD ELEPHANT DAY FACTS

 

  • There are no bones in an elephant’s trunk. The trunk is made up of thousands of muscles and ligaments, making it extremely flexible.
  • Elephants use mud to protect their skin from sun and bug bites.
  • The gestation period for elephants is 22 months, meaning they are pregnant for almost two years!
  • Elephants can cool their bodies down just by flapping their ears.
  • Elephants only sweat between their toes.
  • The greatest threats to Asian elephants are habitat loss and human-elephant conflict.
  • EEHV is a virus that can be lethal to elephant calves. All elephants in the wild and in human care carry EEHV.
  • Asian elephants have lost over 90% of their historical habitat in Asia.
  • The OKC Zoo leads The Sri Lanka Elephant Project, a conservation research program striving to reduce human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka.
  • You can help elephants by rounding up when making purchases at the Zoo. The Round Up for Conservation Fund supports The Sri Lanka Elephant Project.

 

The Oklahoma City Zoo is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with the last entry no later than 4 p.m. Through Labor Day, Monday, September 2, the Zoo is open daily at 8:30 a.m. for ZOOfriends with current memberships. Purchase advance Zoo admission tickets at okczoo.org/tickets and avoid the entry lines. Located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the OKC Zoo is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Alliance of Museums, and Oklahoma City’s Adventure District. Zoo admission is $16 for adults and $13 for children ages 3-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free.

Membership has its perks! As a ZOOfriends member of the Oklahoma City Zoo, enjoy free admission all year-long, plus many additional benefits and discounts. You will also be supporting the Zoo’s animal family, education programming and conservation initiatives both locally and globally. Join or renew today at www.okczoo.org/membership

Stay connected with the Zoo on Facebook, X, Instagram, Linktree and TikTok, and by visiting our blog stories. To learn more about Zoo happenings, call (405) 424-3344 or visit okczoo.org.