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Population in the wild
Less than 8,000 individuals
IUCN status
Endangered
Scientific name
Loxodonta africana
Order
Proboscidea
Family
Elephantidae
Region
West Africa
Habitat
Savanna, Shrubland, Desert, Forest

African Savannah Elephant population

Populations of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in West Africa range across 13 countires, including: Benin, Burkina-Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

Historically they would have been found in high numbers across the region but sadly the elephants of West Africa were amongst the first on the continent to suffer heavy losses as a result of demand for ivory in the early colonial period. 

African Savannah Elephant threats

The main threats to the remaining elephant populations in this region are illegal poaching for ivory alongside habitat loss and fragmentation (caused by ongoing human population expansion and rapid land conversion) and associated conflict with people. The total population has been estimated at less than 12,000 individuals across the whole of West Africa

Protecting West African elephants

A West African elephant walks across the landscape in the WAP complex
West African carnivores and elephants in the savannah

West African carnivores and elephants in the savannah

We are fighting for the future of west African elephants, in their most important stronghold, which is home to over 70% of the remaining population.