Close Menu

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Miami’s Carson Beck and Oklahoma’s John Mateer head list of prominent players switching schools

    August 12, 2025

    Health dept appoints 1,699 med officers across state, ETHealthworld

    August 12, 2025

    Delivery drones are coming to more US neighborhoods after getting off to a slow start

    August 12, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Demos
    • Buy Now
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    14 Trends14 Trends
    Demo
    • Home
    • Features
      • View All On Demos
    • Buy Now
    14 Trends14 Trends
    Home » Kenyan farmers use bees and sesame to keep away marauding elephants
    Technology

    Kenyan farmers use bees and sesame to keep away marauding elephants

    adminBy adminAugust 12, 2025No Comments4 Mins Read0 Views
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram Tumblr Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email


    TAITA TAVETA, Kenya — For farmers in the Taita hills in southern Kenya, elephants are a menace: they raid crops and will occasionally injure or even kill people.

    Farmer Richard Shika, 68, has had some close encounters. “One time, I was trying to chase away an elephant that was in my maize field, but it turned and charged me,” Shika remembers. “It stopped when it was right in front of me, and I managed to jump out of the way.”

    He feels lucky to be alive. Almost exactly two years ago, local media reported that a 3-year-old girl had been trampled to death by an elephant in Taita Taveta county, her mother injured.

    The area where Shika has his farm is almost surrounded by Kenya’s biggest National Park. The border of Tsavo East National Park is less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) to the east, and Tsavo West curves around to the north, west and south. The parks have always been unfenced, allowing animals to migrate. Increasingly, that puts them in the path of humans.

    “The places and infrastructure that we humans develop hinder the migratory routes and paths which elephants used to take,” explains Yuka Luvonga, who researches human-elephant coexistence for conservation organization Save The Elephants.

    Elephants eat about 150 kilograms (330 pounds) of vegetation a day, so keeping them off farms is tricky, especially if forage is scarce elsewhere. “Elephants are clever creatures,” says Shika. “They will try touching a fence, and once they realize that it is not electrified, they charge through.”

    If farmers try to chase them off, as Shika did, the elephants will sometimes turn and defend themselves. Kenya Wildlife Service and conservation organizations tracking human-elephant conflict estimate that 30-35 people are killed every year in elephant-related incidents across Kenya.

    Communities will sometimes retaliate by spearing or poisoning elephants, but there are other solutions, as farmers here have found.

    One of them is bees.

    “Elephants don’t like getting stung by bees, so they keep away from areas where hives are,” Shika says.

    With help from Save The Elephants, Shika is one of 50 farmers who have hung beehives from wires between poles around their farms. If an elephant touches the wire, the hives are rocked, disturbing the bees. It’s an army of tiny security guards that keeps elephants well away from the farm.

    “With hives acting as a fence, I can continue crop-farming and also earn a livelihood from honey,” Shika says. This year, he’s made almost $250 selling honey.

    Changing crops can also make a difference. Elephants love maize and watermelons. But sesame? Blegh.

    Sesame plants produce a scent that actively repels elephants, so for 70-year-old Gertrude Jackim, swapping out maize and green grams for sesame was a no-brainer. “Look at me, I’m aging, so I can’t fend off the elephants or chase them away,” she says.

    She is one of 100 farmers who have been supported to adopt sesame seed production. The change was urgently needed, she says. “Over the years, the elephants have become too destructive.”

    Farming practices that deter elephants – like beekeeping and growing sesame – have made coexistence much easier for farmers like Shika and Jackim.

    Conservationists hope that in the long run, this will win hearts and minds in an area where human-elephant conflict had reached worrying levels.

    “We have to live harmoniously with these elephants,” says Yuka Luvonga from Save the Elephants, “and to create awareness and sensitize the communities to change their attitudes towards the animals that we have.”

    Only then can both people and elephants here continue to thrive.

    ___

    Associated Press writer Nicholas Komu in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report.

    ___

    For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

    The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.



    Source link

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    admin
    • Website

    Related Posts

    Delivery drones are coming to more US neighborhoods after getting off to a slow start

    August 12, 2025

    Scientists search for DNA of an endangered salamander in Mexico City’s canals

    August 12, 2025

    Nvidia, AMD to pay 15% of China chip sale revenue to US government

    August 11, 2025

    Feel sticky this summer? That’s because it’s been record muggy East of the Rockies

    August 10, 2025

    CDC shooter believed COVID vaccine made him suicidal, his father tells police

    August 10, 2025

    Astronauts return to Earth with SpaceX after 5 months at the International Space Station

    August 9, 2025
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Demo
    Top Posts

    ChatGPT’s viral Studio Ghibli-style images highlight AI copyright concerns

    March 28, 20254 Views

    Best Cyber Forensics Software in 2025: Top Tools for Windows Forensics and Beyond

    February 28, 20253 Views

    An ex-politician faces at least 20 years in prison in killing of Las Vegas reporter

    October 16, 20243 Views

    Laws, norms, and ethics for AI in health

    May 1, 20252 Views
    Don't Miss

    Miami’s Carson Beck and Oklahoma’s John Mateer head list of prominent players switching schools

    August 12, 2025

    After an injury kept him from competing in the College Football Playoff last year, Carson…

    Health dept appoints 1,699 med officers across state, ETHealthworld

    August 12, 2025

    Delivery drones are coming to more US neighborhoods after getting off to a slow start

    August 12, 2025

    Trump’s remarks on homelessness in DC spark concerns among homeless advocates

    August 12, 2025
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from SmartMag about art & design.

    Demo
    Top Posts

    ChatGPT’s viral Studio Ghibli-style images highlight AI copyright concerns

    March 28, 20254 Views

    Best Cyber Forensics Software in 2025: Top Tools for Windows Forensics and Beyond

    February 28, 20253 Views

    An ex-politician faces at least 20 years in prison in killing of Las Vegas reporter

    October 16, 20243 Views
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • TikTok
    • WhatsApp
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    Latest Reviews
    Demo
    About Us
    About Us

    Your source for the lifestyle news. This demo is crafted specifically to exhibit the use of the theme as a lifestyle site. Visit our main page for more demos.

    We're accepting new partnerships right now.

    Email Us: info@example.com
    Contact: +1-320-0123-451

    Facebook X (Twitter) Pinterest YouTube WhatsApp
    Our Picks

    Miami’s Carson Beck and Oklahoma’s John Mateer head list of prominent players switching schools

    August 12, 2025

    Health dept appoints 1,699 med officers across state, ETHealthworld

    August 12, 2025

    Delivery drones are coming to more US neighborhoods after getting off to a slow start

    August 12, 2025
    Most Popular

    ChatGPT’s viral Studio Ghibli-style images highlight AI copyright concerns

    March 28, 20254 Views

    Best Cyber Forensics Software in 2025: Top Tools for Windows Forensics and Beyond

    February 28, 20253 Views

    An ex-politician faces at least 20 years in prison in killing of Las Vegas reporter

    October 16, 20243 Views

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    14 Trends
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest YouTube Dribbble
    • Home
    • Buy Now
    © 2025 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.