According to the study led by Colorado State University, African elephants have faced a staggering decline over the last 53 years, with forest elephant populations down by 90 percent on average and savanna elephants declining by 70 percent. This decline highlights the urgent need for conservation efforts as the reasons behind this decrease are primarily human-caused such as poaching and habitat loss.
George Wittemyer, a professor at CSU, stated, 'This paper shows the scale of the declines and how widespread they are across the continent.' He emphasized that despite some herd strengths in areas, the overall trend is concerning.
The research indicates that there are now only around 415,000 elephants left in Africa, a staggering decrease from potentially 3-5 million a century ago. The alarming numbers reveal not only the dramatic drops in their populations but also the implications for biodiversity and ecosystem health.
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