AN average decline of 90 percent for the African elephant population, a 70 percent decline for the savannah elephant population and a combined average decline of 77 percent across both species in the continent has been affirmed in a recent study.

Habitat loss and poaching have driven dramatic declines in African elephants, but it is challenging to measure their numbers and monitor changes across the entire continent. A new study has analyzed 53 years of population survey data and found large-scale declines in most populations of both species of African elephants.