Africa could lose 20 per cent of its elephant population in a decade if current poaching levels are not slowed, animal conservation groups warned on Monday.
An estimated 22,000 elephants were illegally killed across the continent last year, as poaching reached “unacceptably elevated levels,” said a joint statement by CITES, TRAFFIC and IUCN. “If poaching rates are sustained at current levels, Africa is likely to lose a fifth of its elephants in the next ten years,” the statement said.
The study was released as experts and Ministers met in Botswana today to look at ways to stamp out the elephant slaughter, which is fuelled by a growing demand for ivory in Asia.