In a novel method to prevent elephant incursions onto farmland in Kenya, they have tapped into the elephant’s dislike of bees by lining fences with beehives which have proved to be an effective deterrent to the animals.
The idea for elephant-proof fences guarded by bees has its roots in folklore according to The Times report today. Locals reported that elephants ran away from bees. And elephants will also steer clear of trees occupied by bees.
This led to conservationists having the idea of using bees as an elephant deterrent to protect farmers’ incomes. They built fences lined with beehives.
And over the course of nine years in a study involving 26 farms in Tsavo East National Park elephant incursions have dropped by 80% in farmland ringed with bees. Further, the farmers now have an additional income by selling honey!
The scheme could now be copied wherever animals came into conflict with humans according to Dr. Lucy King from Oxford University writing in the journal Conservation Science and Practice.
She said: “We’ve got to find innovative ways for elephants to live with people safely. Otherwise they won’t survive.”
Elephants have been found in experiments by her and her colleagues to run away from the sound of bees and even warn each other when bees are around. African honeybees are more aggressive than European bees, Dr. King said. Once an African bee decides an intruder is a threat and sting it they release pheromones which attract hundreds more. This is what the elephants have learnt. They feel a bit of pain and then they know there are thousands of other bees coming to attack them. This deters them.
Comment: it’s interesting to understand that bees can sting elephants bearing in mind the enormously thick hide that protects them. It’s a thought.
More: Wild African elephants address one another with individually specific calls. Infographic.
