Kilimanjaro & Arusha Regions, Tanzania – Mwana Athumani Msemo’s home lies within the vast grasslands around Mount Kilimanjaro, a tranquil and remote area where the clucking and bleating from her small farm are the only sounds for miles.

The landscape, rich in fresh air and greenery, is beautiful yet brings sorrow for Msemo. Two years ago, her husband ventured out with their cattle and never came back. A village search party followed elephant tracks to discover his body at dusk, hours deceased, with a fatal abdominal wound.

“He left me with five kids,” the 55-year-old said in Swahili, covering her face with her hands. She suppressed her sobs with her headscarf, tears evident.

“Life was easier when he was alive; we had cattle. Now, the cattle are gone, and the kids, who have completed school, can't find jobs.”

Throughout Tanzania, burgeoning human settlements increasingly overlap wildlife habitats. This encroachment leads to dangerous confrontations with elephants, who must migrate for food, sometimes becoming hostile.

At the local level, farmers like Msemo’s neighbor Shangwel Mdee suffer devastating losses. Mdee’s maize farm was ravaged by elephants that night, leaving only ravaged stalks behind.

“Elephants visited last night,” said Mdee, standing amidst the destruction. The animals had breached her protective fence and devoured the nearly mature crops.

“I expected to harvest in two weeks,” she added. Such raids occur almost every year, bringing fresh hurt each time. “I’ve lost it all.”

A Widespread Problem

Conflicts between villagers and wildlife, especially near parks and migratory routes, are increasing across Africa. Between 1950 and 2020, Africa’s population soared by a billion, while elephant populations fluctuated due to varying conservation efforts, intensifying competition for resources.

Severe droughts have also forced elephants out of parks into human territories like Ngulu Kwakoa. “It’s challenging to track the exact number of these conflicts,” said Lucy King from Save the Elephants. “Conflicts can be as varied as people being terrified with no incident or escalations into fatal encounters.”

Despite their declining numbers—from 1.3 million in the 1970s to 415,000 today due to poaching, drought, and habitat loss—elephants are still perceived as threats by nearby residents. They need substantial food (450kg) and water (190 litres) daily and large roaming spaces, increasingly encroached by human activities, leading to confrontations.

Villagers retaliate by hunting or poisoning elephants, exacerbating the conflict. Nations with significant elephant populations, like Zimbabwe and Tanzania, struggle with these challenges due to poor governance and lack of funds for proper wildlife management.

Potential Solutions

Expanding and freeing up wildlife corridors is key, but until then, innovative measures offer relief. In Tanzania, some villagers fend off elephants with chilli-filled condoms or loud noises. An effective and eco-friendly method involves using bees. Elephants, which fear bee stings, are deterred by beehives strategically placed around farms.

John Massay from the nonprofit Wild Survivors confirmed that in Upper Kitete, beehive fences reduced elephant raids from 62 per month in 2020 to 15 in 2023. However, challenges persist as elephants might breach a fence, transferring the problem to unprotected areas.

Besides protecting crops, the bees also generate income. Women’s collectives, like the Nari women’s group, package and sell honey from the hives, fostering economic resilience in the community.

In areas like Ngulu Kwakoa, yet to benefit from such solutions, villagers must coexist with elephants, despite the risks and inadequate government compensation for losses. Msemo, who lost her husband to an elephant, still waits for promised government aid. Hence, while villagers strive to survive beside these majestic animals, they depend on authorities for adequate protection and compensation.