How Kenyan Farmers are Navigating Human-Elephant Conflict

A dangerous conflict is intensifying in Kenya's Taita Hills. Elephants, following their traditional migration routes, are increasingly entering farmland, causing significant crop damage and endangering human lives.

Farmers like Richard Shika, a 68-year-old, face these encounters directly. He recounts a frightening experience where an elephant charged him after he tried to chase it from his maize field. He considers himself lucky to have survived. The severity of this conflict was tragically highlighted nearly two years ago when a three-year-old girl was killed by an elephant in Taita Taveta county, with her mother also injured.

The region's geography further complicates the situation. Shika's farm is situated near Tsavo East and Tsavo West, two of Kenya's largest national parks. These extensive, unfenced reserves have historically allowed animals to migrate freely, a practice that now leads to frequent and often deadly interactions with humans.

Yuka Luvonga, a researcher studying human-elephant coexistence, explains that human development hinders the elephants' migratory paths. Elephants consume a substantial amount of vegetation daily, making it challenging to keep them away from farms, especially when food is scarce elsewhere. Elephants are intelligent and will test fences, charging through if they are not electrified. If farmers attempt to chase them, the elephants may retaliate.

The Kenya Wildlife Service and conservation organizations estimate that 30-35 people are killed annually in elephant-related incidents across Kenya. While communities sometimes resort to retaliatory actions against elephants, alternative solutions are emerging.

One effective method involves bees. Elephants avoid areas with beehives due to their aversion to bee stings. With assistance from Save The Elephants, Shika and other farmers have installed beehives around their farms. The hives, suspended on wires, are disturbed when an elephant touches the wire, releasing the bees. This acts as a natural deterrent, protecting the crops.

Changing crops can also be effective. Elephants are attracted to maize and watermelons, but they dislike sesame. Gertrude Jackim, a 70-year-old farmer, switched from maize and green grams to sesame. She emphasizes the urgent need for this change due to the increasing destruction caused by elephants.

These farming practices, such as beekeeping and growing sesame, have significantly improved coexistence for farmers like Shika and Jackim. Conservationists hope these methods will foster positive attitudes in an area where human-elephant conflict has become a serious concern. The goal is to promote harmonious living between humans and elephants, raising awareness and changing community attitudes towards these animals, ensuring the survival of both.