Compared to what we would have seen even 40 years ago, there's been a strong groundswell of support for efforts protecting the rights and well-being of animals throughout the world.
But while almost nobody wants to see any kind of animal suffer, it seems that people are particularly rooting for elephants.
Throughout the past year alone, we've seen landmark legal battles and new legislation throughout the world protecting elephants that would have been unthinkable back when it was more common to see them in circuses.
That change in sentiment likely has a lot to do with why elephant populations in Kenya have been able to double in the past 30 years and it's certainly got well-wishers hoping for the best after a rare occurrence recently took place in that nation.