Emily Chan
Because their habitat range is reducing, the elephants are forced to venture into human-occupied areas in search of food, where they may destroy crops or become victims of illegal traps.
Poachers may also hunt them for ivory, or they could accidentally get poisoned by chemicals used in agriculture, per the IUCN.
The latest update to the Red List also calls attention to other species at risk of extinction. For instance, the number of reptiles on the Gran Canaria and Ibiza islands of Spain is diminishing because of non-native snakes that were introduced in 1998.
The Gran Canaria giant lizard is now classified as critically endangered, and the Gran Canaria skink is endangered due to attacks by the California kingsnake.
