Botswana Elephant Conservation Project Success

The Okavango Delta is popular with tourists on search for wildlife, particularly elephant herds, while on Botswana holidays. Botswana is a conservation success story as there are over 150,000 elephants roaming in the wilds. The rising elephant populations have however brought the magnificent beasts into conflict with human inhabitants. Local farmers complain that elephants trample crops resulting in significant economic implications and lack of food.

The battle between farmers and elephants has reached a resolution following the recent discovery of a way to keep elephants away from farmer’s crops and conserve the elephant populations. The simple solution has come from unexpected source: chilli peppers. Famers are currently completing Botswana government sponsoring training of farmers in elephant repelling techniques including planting chillies around crops, infusing chilli oils into cloth and even making chilli-dung bombs.

Gaseitsiwe Masunga, chief wildlife biologist for northern Botswana has hailed the chilli method of keeping the peace between famers and elephants a “success”. The chilli project sets a conservation example for devising simple, low cost solutions which benefit all concerned – the elephants, local farmers and even tourists who continue to enjoy continued sightings of elephants while on Botswana holidays.

2 by 2 Holidays are specialists in Botswana holidays holidays and other destinations in southern Africa.
 

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