Illegal killing of elephants by ivory poachers remains "alarmingly high," threatening the population of the massive animals, according to a report released Thursday on United Nation's World Wildlife Day.
More elephants are still killed each year than are born because of poaching in Central and West Africa, the analysis on elephant killings said. About 60% of elephant deaths are from poachers.
"African elephant populations continue to face an immediate threat to their survival from unacceptably high levels of poaching for their ivory, especially in Central and West Africa where high levels of poaching are still evident," said John Scanlon, secretary general of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which puts together yearly trends on elephants. 
The U.N. said the latest figures from CITES show that the steady increase in illegal killing of elephants since 2006, peaking in 2011, has been halted and stabilized, but "the overall poaching levels of African elephants remains alarmingly high."
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.
“As illegal killing of elephants continues to outpace population growth, it’s clear that the poaching crisis continues across Africa. We need it to take a sharp dive toward zero, and fast," said Ginette Hemley, senior vice president of wildlife conservation at World Wildlife Fund, in a statement.
Scanlon identified several bright spots in parts of eastern Africa, such as Kenya, where poaching has diminished.
U.N. Security-General Ban Ki Moon
echoed Scanlon's sentiments. "Time is running out to save some of the world's most iconic species. Much more needs to be done by key actors on all continents and across sectors to combat poaching and address both the demand and supply of illegal wildlife products," Ban said Thursday in a statement.
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.
