LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — Increasing threats of poaching and loss of habitat have made Africa’s elephant populations more endangered, according to a report released Thursday by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The African forest elephant is critically endangered, and the African savanna elephant is endangered. The two species had previously been grouped together as single species and were classified as vulnerable by the IUCN. The number of African forest elephants has fallen by more than 86% since 1990, while the population of savanna elephants dropped by more than 60% over the last 50 years, according to the IUCN, which rates the global extinction risks of the world’s animals.
