 |
| Cosmos Kakwenga demonstrates |
World Wildlife Fund tells us how farmers in Zambia
[photo: WWF] are using a non-lethal method to repel elephants from eating their maize crops. It is not immediately apparent that the world's largest land mammal can be dissuaded from raiding free food by smell; elephant's noses are not only large but very sensitive. They can smell water from a mile away, so a maize field is no problem for a hungry elephant to find. The Kakwenga family farms in the Sioma Ngwezi National Park at the heart of a 109 million acre transnational conservation area that includes territory in Namibia, Zambia, Angola, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Farmers tried a lot of different methods including the offensive vuvuzela horns that annoy many World Cup soccer fans. Only chili bombs seem to work well. They are easy to make too. One part elephant dung and one part crushed chillies mixed with water to hold the bomb together. Dung is readily available. Chilies cost money, so WWF is assisting with making chili a cash crop. WWF and villagers are also working to create corridors so elephants can avoid populated areas on their cross country perambulations in search of food and water.
The news for elephants living in Tanzania and Kenya is not as hopeful. Hong Kong authorities seized the largest illegal shipments of elephant tusks in its history representing over 600 poached elephants. The two shipments together weighed over 8,000 pounds. The seizure is especially embarrassing for Tanzania which is petitioning CITES to selloff its stockpile of contraband ivory that it says is worth $55.5 million. Tanzania says it would use the money for increased anti-poaching efforts, but critics say the sale would further inflame the Asia lust for ivory. Statistics show poaching levels increased after previous government sales of confiscated ivory.
