Today is World Elephant Day, and if you're wondering why an entire day gets set aside for one species, the numbers behind it make the case pretty clearly. That gap alone tells you something: Asia's elephant population is now less than a tenth the size of Africa's. Forest elephants, a genetically distinct population from the more commonly pictured savanna elephants, have dropped by more than 86% over just 31 years. Savanna elephants carry an endangered listing of their own, and so do Asian elephants. Organizers behind World Elephant Day have been pretty upfront that this isn't meant to be a feel-good, symbolic gesture.