Beehive Fences Prevent Human-Elephant Conflict
- Jan 25, 2018
- 3 min read
Location: The Elephant & Bees Research Centre in Sagalla, next to Tsavo East National Park. Fences are now in multiple countries throughout Asia and Africa.
Elephants are the largest land mammals on Earth, so it can be difficult to imagine what they could be afraid of in their natural environment. Unfortunately, their greatest threat is not from the environment, but from people. The ivory trade leads the way in threatening elephants by decimating populations and putting money in the hands of poachers, further encouraging this viscous cycle. While the ivory trade is a priority in fighting to save elephants, it is not the only threat people pose.
As human populations increase, so does the area of land we possess. Elephants are roaming creatures that require a great amount of food and resources - Food and resources that are readily available on farmland. To defend their land and livelihoods, farmers must scare off the elephants in any way they have available. Too often the elephants end up dying from infection or gunshot, or the farmers end up being harmed in the process. Fences alone can hardly prevent the strength of an elephant from passing through.
Supported by the organization Save the Elephants, the Elephants and Bees Project seeks to resolve the conflict between elephants and farmers by creating fencing made from a natural deterrent - bees! Through extensive behavioral studies, Dr. Lucy King verified this locally known fear and began designing specialized fencing to help farmers. Connected cords surround private agricultural land with small beehives hanging on the cords themselves. When an elephant tries to pass, the cords are moved, disturbing the bees. Even the simple sound of bees has been proven to scare away elephants. This fencing design has been proven to be 80% effective thus far and has been implemented throughout areas of Africa and Asia.
Not only do the bees create benefit with the human-animal conflict, they also provide an income source for farmers who participate in this project. Those who choose to collect honey from their beehive fences are paid for the honey, which is then used to create products for sale. Funds are returned right back into the project. This encourages farmers to maintain their fencing and provides the project with funds to continue their innovative methods.
The Elephants and Bees Project continues to prioritize research. They are involved with elephant studies focusing on vocalizations, crop-raiding, and nocturnal behaviors. The bees have expanded the project's research scope by creating opportunities to research pollinator behavior and local botany. Limited internships are open for students interested in joining these efforts.
How To Take Action!
Share this post on Social Media!
Learn more about the Elephants and Bees Project
See a demonstration of beehive fencing by watching the video below
Visit The Elephant & Bees Research Centre
Conduct research projects as an intern
Donate to this project through the Wildlife Conservation Network
Purchase honey and value-added products in Kenya
Purchase items from the Save The Elephants online store
References
All pictures on this blog post are from websites related to the mentioned projects and are directly linked to their source.
Douglas-Hamilton, Iain. (2016). Save the Elephants. 2016 Wildlife Conservation Fall Expo hosted by the Chicago Zoological Society and the Wildlife Conservation Network.
See our Conferences page to learn about upcoming events like this near you!
The Elephants & Bees Project. (2018). Elephants & Bees. Retrieved from http://elephantsandbees.com/
Save the Elephants. (2018). Save the Elephants. Retrieved from http://www.savetheelephants.org/
Save the Elephants. (2015, November 14). African honey bees change lives and save elephants. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/wkpNZx8YY-o
Wildlife Conservation Network. (2018). Save Elephants with Bees and Honey. Retrieved from https://connect.clickandpledge.com/Organization/wildnet/campaign/ElephantsAndBees
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