'They identify that footage of the particular elephant and are able to follow up, in case some continually demonstrate the same behavior,' he says. The group employs human 'elephant officers' who are stationed out in the field. 'If there is an elephant that challenges the fence, the camera traps will show this,' he adds. 'This helps us to understand how they interact with the fence,' says Githui. He says camera traps are mounted along the fence in specific areas where there is a lot of movement of elephants.

'We have monitors that have the capability of sending messages in case there are voltages that have dropped to a certain state, and we are able to know if there was a breakage or an alarm as a result of bridge on that particular section,' Githui says. The smart fence works by having protruding spikes called triggers that target the soft tissue of the elephants, says Sammy Githui, Space for Giants' human-wildlife co-existence manager.

Space for Giants, a local non-governmental organisation that works with elephants and communities, installed the smart fence in partnership with the Laikipia county government and the KWS. Smart technology saves elephants and people The community has also shifted to other types of farming to curb human-elephant conflict, including some farmers raising poultry, chili and other crops which are not consumed by the jumbos. In the past one would have to travel a long distance to get a job, but today, it is difficult to find workers because there are so many jobs available. Mundia adds that large-scale farming has created jobs. #farmers in #Kenya are using new smart technology to prevent #elephants from eating valuable crops, helping both 🧑🏿🌾s & 🐘s, explained by on #podcast: Africa Calling June 11, 2022 He notes that the wild animal invasion not only causes the farmers losses but also leads to anxiety, trauma and general food insecurity. Like yesterday they cut the fence, luckily, they didn't enter my farm,' Kamau tells RFI. 'The elephants come near my farm and stand on the other side of the fence.

The animals also kill human beings and livestock who stumble into their path. Kamau, who lives in Mathira village near the Laikipia west conservancy, keeps incurring huge losses due to the wild animals that freely roam in the area, especially at night.Īnd it is not only the crops that are in danger. Each year as he prepares his land for the next crop season, a nagging question refuses to leave his mind: 'Will my crop survive an elephant attack?' Francis Kamau boasts a large farm in the beautiful Laikipia County plains in Kenya.

Smart notes fences