Wild African elephants could be extinct in a few decades

A new report presented at the Africa Elephant Summit in Bostwana warns that African elephants in the wild could be extinct in just a few decades. Wild elephant populations are rapidly declining because of poaching, which fuels the illegal market for ivory.

Experts from about 20 countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia attended the conservation summit, AFP reports. One expert estimated that wild African elephants could be extinct in 10 to 20 years.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the African elephant population has decreased from 550,000 in 2006 to 470,000 in 2013.

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