Encroachment of man is by far the biggest factor in all animal species numbers dwindling. Look at the UK a 1000 years ago and look at the wild animals that roamed our forests for centuries until we came along! Poaching is again a huge issue but whilst there is a trade, there will be those willing to do whatever it takes to make money and all that can be done is what is done given the poor resources amongst most African countries and the sheer size of land that has to be policed. We lived on a fenced farm with a total fence line of 74 miles, tiny in South African terms but poachers came in and they took animals and there is frankly little that you can do.
On Elephants, the public has an image of a cuddly Elephant just going about its business and whilst they are indeed, majestic and magnificent, they are also by the nature of what they do incredibly destructive. Almost constant browsers, they will decimate scrub at an incredible rate, eating only the bits they actually want whilst killing entire swathes of bush that is left to just rot, bush that a lot of other species relies upon to survive and due to the increasing numbers of national parks and the size of them, they have come back in numbers from a low point up to where we are now which is they are a problem and an unofficial cull in certain spots is happening but for obvious reasons, it wont ever get publicised.
No issue with the WWF or other such organisations but its best remembered they are a charity and they ultimately want your cash so will say things in a certain way to ensure they get that if you get me?
It brings me back to game farm owners who with the national parks are currently the best out there to ensure that animals do indeed survive and are managed in a sustainable way through captive breeding projects and sound animal management. Humans are not going away and the push ever deeper into Africa for land for habitat is only going to increase and a return to hundreds of years ago and populations in their millions running wild is never ever going to happen again im afraid but its what it is and imo, things are being done to make sure that African Elephants will be around for a long time yet in huge numbers as well.