Is this the end for the African elephant?

Could poachers bring about the extinction of the African elephant in your lifetime?

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that given the current rate of poaching there may be no elephants left in the wild in Africa within 100 years.

Lead author George Wittemyer of Colorado State University reports, "We are shredding the fabric of elephant society and exterminating populations across the continent." The study shows that the elephant population is declining by 7% each year due in large to illegal poaching by ivory traders. It is estimated that in Central Africa elephant numbers have fallen by 60% over the last decade and predictions are bleak for the survival of these majestic animals if this situation continues.

Endangered species convention Cites consider that the world now has to make a decision on whether to invest in efforts to tackle the ivory trade and save these animals or condemn them to extinction through inaction. 

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