World Elephant Day 2025: Bringing the World Together to Help Elephants

Today, the world unites under the theme “Bringing the World Together to Help Elephants”, a call to collective action to protect one of nature’s most iconic species. From the vast savannas of Africa to the forests of Asia, elephants face mounting threats – poaching, habitat loss, and increasing human-elephant conflict. In the heart of Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Upemba National Park stands as both a sanctuary and a frontline in this struggle.

Over the past years, with the help of various partners, the park has multiplied efforts taking bold steps to safeguard the park’s elephants. These efforts culminated to the deployment of GPS collars to track their movements across the various zones of the park and beyond. These collars will allow the park to monitor migration patterns in real time, anticipate potential conflict zones, and deploy rapid-response teams where needed.

Yet, despite these advances, human-elephant conflict persists. As agricultural lands expand into traditional elephant corridors, encounters between people and elephants have become more frequent and sometimes destructive, threatening both livelihoods and lives. “It’s a delicate balance,” says Dr. Ruffin Mpanga (Head of the Research and Biomonitoring Department), “We must protect elephants while ensuring the safety and well-being of local communities.”

Addressing this challenge requires more than technology. It demands collaboration – between governments, NGOs, local communities, and the global conservation community. On this World Elephant Day, Upemba National Park calls on the world to stand together. Protecting elephants is not a task for one park or one nation – it is a shared responsibility. By combining science, community engagement, and global solidarity, we can ensure that these gentle giants roam freely for generations to come.

Because when the world comes together, elephants have a future.

Images: Justin Sullivan, Upemba National Park - 2025