A survey of African savanna elephants revealed that populations declined by 30% between 2007 and 2014. As of 2014, about 350,000 savanna elephants were living in Africa. Their current rate of decline is 8% per year, primarily due to illegal killing called poaching.
Why are so many elephants being illegally killed? And how is this poaching affecting elephant populations? You will explore these two questions by examining data from several studies and watching a Scientists at Work video about elephants living in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique.