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Elephants at Risk

Two African forest elephants have a bath in the Central African Republic in April 2019. FLORENT VERGNES—AFP/GETTY IMAGES

African elephants are becoming more endangered. That’s according to a March 25 report. It was done by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The group decides how likely some animals are to become extinct.

There are two species of African elephant. One is the savanna elephant. Its population has fallen by 60% over the past 50 years. The other is the forest elephant. Its population has fallen by 86% in the past 31 years.

These animals are now endangered. Poaching poach BUENA VISTA IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES to catch or kill an animal illegally (verb) The African elephant is often poached, which could lead to its extinction. and habitat loss are the two main threats to them. Bruno Oberle is the director of IUCN. He says Africa’s elephants are “iconic iconic pw iconic FOTOG/GETTY IMAGES widely recognized or respected (adjective) The Statue of Liberty is an iconic symbol of New York City. animals” that should be protected.