Countries and conservation groups marked World Elephant Day on 12 August with a mix of progress updates and fresh reminders of the challenges facing the planet’s largest land mammal. China’s forestry authorities said they have created 11 nature reserves in the main habitats of the country’s Asian elephants and are now using drones, mobile apps and social-media alerts to track herds in real time across Yunnan’s Xishuangbanna region, aiming to reduce encounters with nearby villages. In Indonesia, the Balai Besar Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam Riau announced that a three-month-old Sumatran elephant calf named Yuni died from pneumonia and gastrointestinal inflammation after being rescued as an orphan earlier this year, underscoring the species’ vulnerability in one of its last strongholds. Elsewhere, an injured elephant’s daily search for food in an Assamese village prompted Indian wildlife activists to renew calls for dedicated corridors, while Kenya reported a rise in crop raids by elephants as local farmers test non-lethal deterrents such as beehive fences and chili-infused barriers. Zoos and museums also joined the annual campaign: Warsaw Zoo organised educational programs for visitors, and United Nations agencies urged the public not to invest in ivory and to support community-based conservation projects.