© IUCN Photo Library/Alicia Wirz Species of the Day: African Elephant The African Elephant, Loxodonta africana, is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. It is the largest living terrestrial animal and is found across much of sub-Saharan Africa, but its populations are becoming increasingly fragmented. Historically, poaching for ivory and meat has been the main cause of the African Elephant’s decline. However, while illegal hunting remains a significant threat in some areas, habitat loss Geographical range and fragmentation due to human population expansion and rapid land conversion pose major www.iucnredlist.org challenges over much of the range, and increase the incidence of human-elephant conflict. www.african-elephant.org Help Save Species The African Elephant receives various degrees of legal protection throughout its range, and www.arkive.org international trade in elephant ivory is controlled under CITES. Sport hunting is permitted in some countries, and several countries have CITES export quotas for elephant trophies. Effective management and conservation has been successful in increasing elephant numbers in southern and eastern Africa, but varying approaches are needed for the specific problems facing this charismatic species in different countries and regions across its range. The production of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is made possible through the IUCN Red List Partnership: Species of the Day IUCN (including the Species Survival Commission), BirdLife is sponsored by International, Conservation International, NatureServe and Zoological Society of London..