It’s no secret that elephants are smart and negotiating with them is as much an art as a science. Careful planning and strategy are needed.

When elephants raid farms they risk the spears of angry farmers, and we use several tactics to avoid this. To start, our mobile ranger units patrol high-risk areas at high-risk times, using their vehicles to intercept elephants and direct them away from farms. At night rangers will use strobes lights and thunder flashes (firecrackers) to startle elephants back to safety.

In the areas with the highest rates of conflict, we erected a physical barrier: 100 km of solar-powered electric fencing. The design features short (3 ft) posts with long, angled outrigger wires, intended to stop elephants from climbing over or pushing through. However, the smarter bull elephants have learned how to get through, going so far as to dig up and break the buried ground wire, thereby rendering the fence ineffective.

Although these ‘fence-breaks’ are frustrating, the fence is still extremely effective and conflict has dropped by 90% along that line, saving farmer’s crops and elephant’s lives. Keeping this fence operational is a full-time job, and one we’re happy to do with your support.

There are other ways of negotiating with elephants. Their trunks and eyes are sensitive, and we’ve been testing an experimental fence made of rags infused with chili oil, that deters elephants but is not harmful. The process is time-intensive and the potency wears off quickly, but it’s an interesting alternative in the right circumstances.

Elephants also hate bees, and beehive fences have shown promising results in other parts of Africa. They are best used on smaller individual farms and are unfortunately impractical at the scale needed in our case. It would be impossible to maintain a single unbroken beehive fence (complete with occupied hives) along the 100+ km that we manage, and we know from experience how quick elephants are to exploit weaknesses.

We also know that there is no silver bullet for solving human-elephant conflict. Elephants are smart and always learning, and we try our best to do the same.

Photos: Jeremy Goss

Cows and goats huddle under the shade of a lone acacia tree, barely avoiding the unforgiving midday sun. One or two limply sip at a muddy puddle containing little more than a handful of water. Concrete blocks are strewn around them. These blocks used to cover pipes that connected a community borehole to a water trough. However, they were destroyed the night before by elephants also trying to quench their thirst by breaking into the plumbing buried beneath.

Rising fuel costs paired with worsening drought conditions have meant people are less able and less willing to pay to pump water from community boreholes to sustain their livestock, especially when elephants arrive shortly after to finish whatever remains.

But today it is a different story. The generator has just sputtered into action, and its sound is immediately acknowledged by livestock and wildlife alike, waking them from a heat-induced stupor. This borehole is in an area called Satao Elerai, and is one of the latest that Big Life is paying the fuel costs for.

As drought conditions persist, Big Life will continue to fund more than 15 boreholes across the ecosystem, ensuring people, livestock, and wildlife still have access to this precious resource. That means fuel for the generators to pump the water, attendants to monitor their condition, and repairs when elephants are destructive.

Maji ni Maisha = Water is Life

And we intend to support as much of it as we can.

Photo: Josh Clay

Big Life’s 11 female rangers create an ensemble that is a force to be reckoned with. Unlike Danny Ocean’s crew of heisters, our team is enforcing conservation laws and helping to put would-be poachers behind bars.

All 11 of these women are mothers and know that their children’s future depends on a safe and thriving ecosystem to call home.

The future of all of us and our planet depends on hardworking women like our female ranger unit. From patrolling for wildlife criminals to liaising with their local communities, Big Life’s female rangers are working for a more equitable society in a field dominated by men.

To all female rangers, as well as the dozens of women working behind the scenes at Big Life for our shared mission protecting wildlife and wild lands, happy International Women’s Day. We salute you! Photo: Josh Clay

The highlight of the 4th quarter last year was undisputedly Big Life’s supporters stepping up to help us fund our operations. The drought has put pressure on everything from our rangers to our budget, and thanks to you, we started the New Year on confident footing to tackle the challenges in front of us.

Unfortunately, the biggest challenge remains the lingering drought. Despite decent rains in the Chyulu Hills in December, the rest of the ecosystem was not so lucky, and conditions continue to be hard on everyone – human and animal alike.

Most recent counts put the number of drought-related elephant mortalities due in the Amboseli area at over 150. Among these were the youngest and oldest members of the herds that move through our area of operation, which is a bitter pill to swallow.

On the plus side, mortalities to date are not nearly as bad as during the last major drought in 2009. While current circumstances are dire and require all hands on deck, we’re well-positioned now to put meaningful measures into effect to help. We’re continuing our school feeding programs to make sure kids get at least one meal per day. And strategic water and food for animals will continue until we see (fingers crossed) rains early this spring.

Another highlight from the 4th quarter was the return of the Maasai Olympics. If we were worried the games had lost any luster for the local communities in the last four years, we were sorely mistaken. The warrior athletes competed against each other valiantly, and community members turned out to enjoy the games en masse. It provided a spark of joy during an otherwise challenging time. To our sponsors who made the day possible, we thank you.

Thank you to all who support us as we press on into this New Year, resolute to continue protecting the wildlife and wild lands of East Africa for the benefit of all.

Richard Bonham
Executive Chairman & Founder – Big Life Foundation Kenya

 SEE THE FULL 4th QUARTERLY REPORT