Introduction The African continent is popular, in the world, for the wide variety of its wildlife species. Hundreds of snakes, birds, and mammalian species reside in the continent. However, there has been a worrying trend in the status of wildlife in the past couple of decades. Of major concern has been the dwindling population of animal species like rhinos, gorillas, and elephants. The trend is worrying to conservationists all over the world. Many of them regard the African continent as one of the safest places for the nurturing of animal species which are considered as endangered. The decline in the population of these species is attributed to a number of factors such as shortage of rainfall, increased predation, competition for pastures with other animal species, as well as human activities (Allen, 2007). Human activity, according to Allen (2007), is identified as the major contributing factor towards the reduction of the population of animal species in Africa today. Such human activities range from poaching and sport hunting to encroachment by human beings into animal habitats. As human population in the African continent rises, the competition for space between humans and wildlife similarly increases. Out of all the human activities, poaching is the major contributor towards the decline of wildlife populations in Africa today. Different scholars conceptualize poaching variously. For example, Aleper & Moe (2006) define it as the unauthorized exploitation of wildlife products. The products sought for in the poaching endeavor include skin, meat, and such trophies as tusks and horns. Failure to address the menace that is poaching may lead to the extinction of some animal species. One clear example is the massive decrease in the number of African elephants. According to Aleper & Moe (2006), the dwindling population of elephants was more pronounced from the 1980s. The two authors point out that from a staggering population of about 1.3million, the number has fallen drastically to just slightly above 500,000. Inogwabini (2007) pointed out that rhinos, elephants, and gorillas are the most poached wildlife species in Africa. Lucrative commercial poaching enterprise has contributed towards the propagation of the menace. African countries have working and potentially effective wildlife conservation laws and policies. However, the nonchalance approach towards their enforcement, as exhibited in these countries, similarly promotes the vice. In this paper, the author will address the change in the status of the animal species that are most poached. The contributing factors to the dwindling population are also analyzed in the paper. To start with, major environmental factors touching on wildlife are identified and options to resolve them suggested. The merits of the options provided are also analyzed. In conclusion, recommendations to reverse the deteriorating state of these poached species are suggested. Conservation Status of Rhinos, Elephants, and Gorillas in Africa Environmental Factors In Africa, there has been a sharp decrease in the population of rhinos, elephants and gorillas. One of the factors to blame is the increased human population, which has resulted into encroachment into animal habitats (Allen, 2007