The population of African elephants has significantly dropped by 77% on average in about 50 years, research conducted by American scientists George Wittemyer, Charles T. T. Edwards, and Kathleen S. Gobush said.
According to the study, forest elephant populations have decreased on average by 90%, and savanna elephant populations have declined by 70%. The data was analyzed in 475 sites in 37 countries between 1964 and 2016.
"We have lost a number of elephant populations across many countries, but the northern Sahel region of Africa—for example, in Mali, Chad and Nigeria—has been particularly hard hit. High pressure and limited protection have culminated in populations being extirpated," George Wittemyer, one of the researchers, said, as quoted by a Western news outlet.