Elephant hospital in Kerala
India's first hospital solely for elephants will be built in Kerala.Creative Commons/Safari Partners

World Elephant Day is annually celebrated on 12 August, to mark efforts that ar aimed at protecting elephants. It is interesting to know that there are many celebrities who are passionately involved in such efforts.

Here, we have compiled a list of such celebrities who work towards ensuring a better habitat for elephants.

Ricky Gervais: The comedian is an avid animal-lover and has been campaigning to put an end to ivory trade to protect the animal. "Elephants could be extinct by 2030 if the ivory trade remains the same, and for what? For trinkets for morons to own? That's f%$#ing mental!"

Kristin Davis: The "Sex and the City" star got involved in the search for an orphaned baby elephant and eventually helped find him during a tour to the Kenyan safari park in 2009, and since then has been working with David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust towards anti-ivory, anti-poaching campaigns.

Leonardo DiCaprio: The world famous superstar and founder of 'Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation' contributed $1 million to the Elephant Crisis Fund to support the cause of elimination of ivory poaching and trafficking.

Olivia Munn: Making a public plea to free a sick elephant named Sarah from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the "X-Men: Apocalypse" star became famous as an elephant lover. She even asked her fans to boycott Groupon, after they gave discounted tickets to the circus. "Most of the circuses that Groupon has promoted have been cited for violations of the AWA numerous times, including in the last two years—so promoting them violates Groupon's own policy," she had said. 

Ian Somerhalder: "The Vampire Diaries" star is an avid lover of all animals and uses his Ian Somerhalder Foundation to fight for animal rights and promote environmental initiatives. Recently, he spoke on behalf of animal conservation at a Federal Hearing on the US Ivory Ban and spoke of his experience witnessing the brutal poaching of African elephants in his testimony.