WAR ON AFRICAN ELEPHANTS: POACHING CAUSES BIGGEST LOSSES IN 25 YEARS

More than 24,000 elephants died from poaching in 2015

“It is shocking but not surprising that poaching has taken such a dramatic toll on this iconic species" Inger Andersen, the director general for IUCN

Africa's elephant population suffered its biggest decline in 25 years, as more poachers kill the mammals for their valuable ivory tusks, a new conservation study reveals.

Elephant populations decreased by 110,000 over the past 10 years, the International Union for Conservation of Nature's ( IUCN) African Elephant Status report found. The report was presented Friday at the Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES) in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Poaching for ivory in the past ten years is the worst conservationists have seen in Africa since the 1980s. The loss of habitat as areas become developed also pose a long- term threat to elephants, the report found.

“It is shocking but not surprising that poaching has taken such a dramatic toll on this iconic species," said Inger Andersen, the director general for IUCN. "This report provides further scientific evidence of the need to scale up efforts to combat poaching."

South Africa has the largest number of elephants, more than 70% of the continent's total. Eastern Africa, however, has been most impacted by poaching, witnessing a nearly 50% reduction in elephants, the report found.

More elephants are killed each year than are born because of poaching in Central and West Africa, according to a report released in March on United Nation's World Wildlife Day. About 60% of elephant deaths are by poachers.

More than 24,000 elephants died from poaching in 2015, according to Born Free, an international wildlife charity. The total population of African elephants in the wild is 470,000, the World Wildlife Fund estimates.

The United States instituted a near- total ban on commercial trade in African elephant ivory in July, but the ivory trade continues to flourish in many Asian countries. Ivory is used to make jewelry, combs, piano keys and religious ornaments.

All African elephants, which typically weigh up to 8 tons, have tusks and are considered the largest land mammal on earth, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

DOLF VAN ZUYDAM, AP A herd of elephants swim and drink water in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

SIMON MAINA, AFP/ GETTY IMAGES An African elephant plays in the mud at the Mpala Research Center and Wildlife Foundation, near Kenya.