Elephants are associated with India’s rich natural heritage, says PM Modi

New Delhi [India], August 12 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of World Elephant Day reiterated India's commitment to protect elephants as they are "associated with India’s rich natural heritage". The Prime Minister also appreciated those working towards elephant conservation.
"On World Elephant Day, we reiterate our commitment to protect the elephant, which is very closely associated with India’s rich natural heritage. I also appreciate all those working in this direction," Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. 
PM Modi also shared some photos from his recent visit to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve on X. While one of them show a baby elephant touching PM Modi's chest another showed PM Modi touching an elephant's trunk.
The Prime Minister had retweeted a tweet by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav who reiterated India's commitment to protect elephants on World Elephant Day.
"Standing tall as guardians of the wild, about 60 per cent of all Asian elephants live in India. On #WorldElephantDay, reiterating India's commitment to protect these gentle giants. Proud that the number of elephant reserves has risen in the last 9 years. I laud all those involved in protecting elephants," read Bhupender Yadav's message on X.
Every year 12th August is celebrated as the World Elephant Day across the globe to reaffirm mankind’s collective pledge in conserving one of the most iconic species in the planet. In India, elephants are regarded as the National Heritage animals and are deeply ingrained in our culture, a press release issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change mentioned.