The African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) has been listed as Critically Endangered while the African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- The IUCN Red List now includes 134,425 species of which 37,480 are threatened with extinction.
- According to the IUCN, till now, African elephants were treated as a single species, listed as Vulnerable; this is the first time the two species have been assessed separately for the IUCN Red List, following the emergence of new genetic evidence.
- The number of African forest elephants fell by more than 86% over a period of 31 years, while the population of African savanna elephants decreased by at least 60% over the last 50 years, according to the assessments.
- Both species suffered sharp declines since 2008 due to a significant increase in poaching, which peaked in 2011 but continues to threaten populations, says IUCN.
