INTERNATIONAL RED PANDA DAY

September 19, 2026September 3, 2026Jensperspectiveblog 3 Comments

During the third Saturday in September, International Red Panda Day dedicates a day to learning about about red pandas. Join the campaign to raise awareness about saving their habitats.

Red pandas are much smaller than the more familiar black and white pandas. In fact, red pandas are not related to giant pandas at all. Red pandas weigh between 12 to 20 pounds, which is about the size of a housecat. These adorable mammals live in the trees of the Himalaya Mountains. The Red panda’s popularity in Asia features them in cartoons and as team mascots. However, only about 10,000 red pandas live in the wild. Because of deforestation, poaching, and the illegal pet trade, red pandas are endangered.

5 Fun Facts About Red Pandas

Their fur is the color of cinnamon and keeps them warm in cold climates.
Red pandas eat mostly bamboo.
They were discovered in 1825, before the giant panda.
Other names for the red panda include bear-cat, firefox, and Himalayan raccoon.
Although they resemble raccoons, they have no living relatives.

According to the Red Panda Network, red pandas symbolize of life. Red pandas help to keep forests healthy, the water clean, and the ecosystem vibrant. Saving the red panda helps combat global climate change as well as protect the ecological integrity of South Asia.

INTERNATIONAL RED PANDA DAY HISTORY

The Red Panda Network launched International Red Panda Day in 2010. At that time, 16 schools and a few zoos participated in red panda activities. Currently, more than 60 zoos around the world participate, with over 100,000 visitors on Red Panda Day.

Explore More…

National Wildlife Day
National Urban Wildlife Refuge Day
National Wildlife Conservation Day
National Endangered Species Day
World Lion Day
National Monkey Day
National Pig Day
National Appreciation Elephant Day
National Dolphin Day
National Wildlife Week
World Wildlife Day
National American Eagle Day
Save the Eagles Day
National Panda Day
International Red Panda Day
National Zoo Lovers Day
National Zoo and Aquarium Month

HOW TO OBSERVE #InternationalRedPandaDay

Many conservation organizations, along with schools and zoos all around the world, celebrate International Red Panda Day. Some zoos celebrate by having informational presentations about red pandas. In China, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding visits schools in rural areas where red pandas live. In Nepal, communities celebrate with speech competitions and film viewings. Many other organizations host activities that educate the public on the importance of red panda conservation.

If you want to take part in International Red Panda Day, check with your local zoo to see if they have any activities. Donate to the Red Panda Network or another group that strives to protect the red panda. Encourage your child to become a Red Panda Ranger to help spread the word about red pandas. You can also share an image of a red panda on social media with #InternationalRedPandaDay.

NATIONAL ELEPHANT APPRECIATION DAY

August 31, 2026August 23, 2026Jensperspectiveblog 2 Comments

If you didn’t remember September 22 is National Elephant Appreciation Day, it’s fine. We’re sure the elephant probably didn’t forget.

People of all ages are fascinated by elephants. Discover some interesting facts about them to celebrate with us!

These captivating and social animals live between 60 to 70 years. Like humans, elephants develop remarkably close family bonds. Two species, the African Savannah and Asian elephant, exist. However, recently scientists suggested that the African Forest elephant is also a unique species and not a subspecies.

Each day, poachers kill approximately 100 elephants for their ivory, meat, bones, and skin.

These pachyderms are closely related to rhinoceroses and hippos. In fact, pachyderm describes thick-skinned animals with hooves or nails similar to hooves. While the African elephants outgrow the Asian, both hold the prize for the largest land mammal on earth. However, there are some differences between the species, though.

Differences Between African & Asian Elephants:

The African elephant grows larger ears.
In the Asian species, only the male grows tusks. However, in the African, both male and female elephants grow tusks.
One of the things that fascinate us about elephants is their trunk. It’s super sensitive. At the end, a small finger-like appendage grows. The appendage, also known as a lobe, gives elephants the ability to pick up small twigs, bits of grass and other items. On the Asian elephant, the lobe grows at the top tip of the trunk. However, the African elephant grows a lobe at the top and bottom, giving it extra pinching dexterity.
Both species live in herds. The herds are led primarily by a matriarch and comprised of sisters, daughters and their young. As the males grow, they move off on their own. Asian herds tend to be smaller than the African herds.
While both species are herbivores, their diets vary based on the available habitat.

Elephants are spirited and playful animals. Have you ever seen them frolic in the water? And they will defend their own with their mighty tusks. Whether foraging for food or digging a mud hole, their tusks are vital for survival. Since hunters value the ivory more than the life of the elephant, they endanger the continued existence of these majestic animals.

Do elephants never forget? Well, studies have determined that elephants have excellent memories. They remember vital locations over large areas of land. Elephants also show recognition of faces and other elephants even after a long time has passed. And while we may be forgetful from time to time, we don’t recommend forgetting this holiday!

NATIONAL ELEPHANT APPRECIATION DAY HISTORY

National Elephant Appreciation Day originated in 1996 to raise awareness concerning the plight of elephants.

The word “pachyderm” is often used in reference to an elephant. However, the elephant isn’t the only pachyderm in the world. The obsolete term was once a classification of animals which also included hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, pigs, and tapirs.

Elephants do sleep standing up, though not all the time. Wild elephants will spend more time sleeping standing up than their captive relatives.

Explore More…

National Wildlife Day

National Urban Wildlife Refuge Day

National Wildlife Conservation Day

National Endangered Species Day

World Lion Day

National Monkey Day

National Pig Day

National Elephant Day

National Dolphin Day

National Wildlife Week

World Wildlife Day

National American Eagle Day

Save the Eagles Day

National Panda Day

International Red Panda Day

National Zoo Lovers Day

National Zoo and Aquarium Month

HOW TO OBSERVE ELEPHANT APPRECIATION DAY

Don’t forget to celebrate the Elephant on September 22nd! Show your appreciation today by visiting the elephants at your local zoo. Get involved. Learn about conservation and eliminating poaching.

Read up about elephants. We suggest The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony or Love, Live and Elephants: An African Love Story by Daphne Sheldrick. You could also read Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss or any of the Babar stories by Jean de Brunhoff.

Documentaries bring the life of the elephant into our living rooms. Watch Elephant directed by Mark Linfield or When Elephants Were Young directed by Patricia Sims.

Use #ElephantAppreciationDay to post on social media.

The Jungle Book Colonel Hati's March — See Colonel Hati’s March

Dumbo #ElephantAppreciationDay — See Colonel Hati’s March

WORLD ELEPHANT DAY

August 11, 2026April 23, 2026Jensperspectiveblog Leave a comment

Join in the worldwide observance on August 12 as we celebrate of one of Earth’s most magnificent creatures on World Elephant Day.

As the largest living land animal on earth, elephants weigh up to 9 tons and stand almost 13 feet high. They have large ears and a long trunk used for drinking, grabbing things, smelling and breathing. Interestingly, elephants also use their trunk as a way to defend themselves.

Elephants are native to Africa and Asia. There are two types of African elephant species–the savanna elephant and forest elephant. Only Asian male elephants grow tusks, while both African male and female elephants can grow tusks. Interestingly, Asian elephants only have one “finger’ on their trunk and African elephants have two.

5 Elephant Tidbits

An elephant has around 150,000 muscles in their trunk, allowing breath, drink, and smell.
Elephant skin is around 2.5 cm thick. The wrinkles in their skin holds water to help keep them cool.
On average, an elephant eats around 300 pounds of food a day, including grass, tree shrubs, fruit, and leaves.
Elephants can communicate by feeling vibrations in their bones, carried through the ground.
The temporal lobe responsible for memory is larger than a human, meaning an elephant has an amazing memory.

Elephants are in danger of extinction. Poaching for ivory from the tusks and loss of habitat are two of the main problems elephants face today. Through communication, awareness, and community involvement, we can protect this animal and the beauty they bring to nature.

WORLD ELEPHANT DAY HISTORY

We encourage you to learn more about elephants by visiting the WorldElephantDay.org website.

Explore More…

CELEBRATE WORLD ELEPHANT DAY

Show your appreciation today by visiting the elephants at your local zoo. Get involved. Learn about conservation and eliminating poaching. Watch a documentary about elephants to learn more about this majestic creature. Use #ElephantAppreciationDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL DOLPHIN DAY

April 13, 2026March 3, 2026Jensperspectiveblog 7 Comments

Each year on April 14th, National Dolphin Day recognizes the social and intelligent mammals of the water.

Dolphins are cetacean mammals that are related to whales and porpoises. They range in size from 4 feet to up to 30 feet; dolphins are among almost forty species in 17 genera. Found worldwide, they prefer the shallower seas of the continental shelves.

As carnivores, their diet consists of mostly fish and squid.

Male dolphin – bull
Female dolphin – cow
Young dolphin – calf
Group of dolphins – school or pod

Social, Swift, and Intelligent

Dolphins are known to have acute eyesight both in and out of the water. They also have a well-developed sense of touch, with free nerve endings densely packed in the skin. Since they additionally have such acute hearing, they can hear frequencies ten times or more above the upper limit of what adult humans can. Dolphins are also capable of making a broad range of sounds using nasal air sacs located just below the blowhole.

Living in pods of up to a dozen dolphins, they are highly social animals. Pods do merge in areas where there is an abundance of food, forming superpods. These pods may exceed 1,000 dolphins. Dolphins can, and do, establish strong bonds within their pods. Even when one is injured or ill, they will stay, helping them to breathe by bringing them to the surface if needed.

You will see the dolphins frequently leaping above the water’s surface. They do this for various reasons; when traveling, jumping saves them energy as there is less friction while in the air. Their leaps even have a name called porpoising. Some other explanations for leaping include orientation, social display, fighting, non-verbal communication, entertainment, and attempting to dislodge parasites.

The United States National Marine Mammal Foundation conducted a study revealing that dolphins, like humans, develop a natural form of type 2 diabetes. This discovery may lead to a better understanding of the disease and new treatments for both humans and dolphins.