Happy Elephant Appreciation Day
Don’t worry, I am not planning on turning the blog into a twitter feed of obscure holidays.
_OHHI_ alerted me to the fact that it was Elephant Appreciation Day in the comments on my “International Talk Like a Pirate Day” post. Naturally, my first thought was, “Why is there an Elephant Appreciation Day?”. Well, it was started in 1996 by an elephant enthusiast, because
- is the largest land mammal of our era,
- is unique among mammals for its trunk,
- is the most noble of beasts on earth,
- is most undeservedly threatened with extinction,
- has been man’s benefactor in numerous ways throughout history,
- is entertaining and amusing,
- is gentle and friendly,
- contributes to ecosystem development and maintenance,
These are all great reasons to appreciate elephants – except “entertaining and amusing”; when was the last time an elephant made you laugh? Dumbo doesn’t count – but “undeservedly threatened with extinction” really jumped out at me. It is true that elephants are threatened with extinction and for no particularly good reason. Which is a shame because they are truly awesome animals – awesome in a awe inspiring way, not a totally tubular radicool and awesome kind of way. Can you imagine learning about elephants in a textbook in the same way we learned about the wooly mammoth or the dodo bird? I can, but it sounds lame. So today, we take a minute to appreciate the elephant. Although, I’d like to put an asterisk next to “gently and friendly”, because elephants have been known to open a can of whoop pass from time to time.
You’re a strange man, Mek.
kghero
September 22, 2011 at 4:43 pm
I have never watched Dumbo.
Kal
September 22, 2011 at 5:38 pm
We have a great collection of elephants in our Zoo in Copenhagen. First one was a present from India. Just sayin’, not trying to be cool.
NopeTheOtherOne
September 22, 2011 at 6:37 pm
My uncles, llamas, pet cats, brother was mauled to death by an elephant.
llamafish69
September 22, 2011 at 6:54 pm
Also, are you using Google +?????????!?!?!?!?!?8========D~~~??@?!?!?!/?
llamafish69
September 22, 2011 at 6:56 pm
And elephant poo are important. Let us not forget about that.
Wobbly
September 23, 2011 at 3:45 am
I like elephants. Interesting fact: Some elephants are starting to evolve not to have tusks because that is the main reason they are being poached. So, soon enough, none of them will have any tucks.
Riley__
September 23, 2011 at 5:45 am
Oh noes! If I give them magic cupcakes, will they stop evolving?
_OHHI_
September 23, 2011 at 12:58 pm
OMG I LOVE YOU MEK!
_OHHI_
September 23, 2011 at 12:56 pm
I feel like this .gif is more than appropriate for this “holiday”. http://i54.tinypic.com/sg2y6q.jpg
Doc
September 23, 2011 at 5:08 pm
so is this. http://www.gifbin.com/bin/052009/1243780643_ostrich-vs-elephant.gif
Mek
September 23, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Can we have an official MLIA holiday? More official than the previous one.
Doc
September 24, 2011 at 7:47 am
Mek! What do you think of my Halloween costume contest idea?
Kal
September 23, 2011 at 6:56 pm
That’s irrelephant to this post.
kellcheck
September 27, 2011 at 3:08 am
I spent a good portion of my time just now searching for a comment not about elephants just to make that joke.
kellcheck
September 27, 2011 at 3:08 am
But which is appreciated more, African or Asian elephants?
thecondimentsalsa
September 24, 2011 at 12:27 am
I stood 5 ft from an elephant @ an amusement park, he or she looked right at me with the most beautiful long-lashed eye (I only saw the one due to how close I was). There was comprehension, resignation, mild curiosity, gentle nature in that gaze, I ‘m still profoundly affected yrs later.
Sorry, no cleverness fr me today, elephants’ problems r serious
RU Seareous
September 24, 2011 at 1:01 pm
So it was started by some guy who like big grey things. That was probaly his ONLY sucess in life.
Hpgrrl
September 24, 2011 at 3:16 pm
Why so cynical, sunshine?
kellcheck
September 27, 2011 at 3:06 am
Is that a hit on CofCk?
Hpgrrl
September 27, 2011 at 6:35 pm
Well polish my nuts and serve me a milkshake, more regular blog posts. So Mek, my account’s two years old now, so, uh… AWOTD. Action. Just throwing it out there.
ActionMan
September 25, 2011 at 12:48 am
You forgot to mention it’s also the Alabama Crimson Tide’s mascot!! Roll Tide Roll!!! =D
extremebamafan
September 25, 2011 at 7:01 pm
Yeah, I like elephants too.
HIDDEN0606
September 25, 2011 at 8:00 pm
Elephants are cute
supermackie6
September 26, 2011 at 10:22 am
Mek, can you make dog shirts for the store? My dog needs a shirt. Gizmo really is the unofficial MLIA mascot.
Doc
September 26, 2011 at 4:54 pm
Can you delete this too? Someone has to be stupid enough to fall for it… http://mylifeisaverage.com/story/3221054/
Doc
September 26, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Thanks for the heads up. I left it up, but made a few changes
Mek
September 27, 2011 at 12:23 am
Here we are again, celebrating yet another odd and perhaps, on the surface, ridiculous holiday that most people don’t even know exists. September 22 is Elephant Appreciation Day. I know it sounds like an internet hoax but it’s a real holiday, more or less. Back in 1996, September 22 was declared Elephant Appreciation Day by Mission Media, a graphics and publishing firm who got the day included in Chase’s Calendar of Events, making the holiday, I guess, official. Mission Media says elephants deserve a day of their own because they are the largest land mammal of our era and are undeservedly threatened with extinction. Sounds good to me, I’m just a bit surprised they didn’t pick a more endangered species like the Alabama Cave Shrimp, the Camiguin Forest Mouse or the Ethiopian Banana Frog. How about the Asian Small-clawed Otter Appreciation Day?
Roger Walker
February 6, 2013 at 7:12 pm