![]() “The community is overjoyed and says that whoever installed this fence is their earthly savior. John Mundia, a village elder at Mathira sublocation, says the introduction of the digital smart fence is a game-changer for the community. Local officials say the human-wildlife conflict has been driven by a population explosion in an area that encroaches on the wild animals’ grazing areas. Now she has expanded her farm to include tomatoes and beans. She says that before the installation of the fence, she used to grow maize and potatoes, which could be destroyed by the elephants. But now we are thankful because we have expanded our fields.” “If one elephant sets its foot in the farm, it destroys everything. “In the past when we didn’t have this fence, we were having problems with wild animals especially elephants,” says Mukami, who has lived on her farm for about 50 years. She says she can cultivate her small plot of land in peace. The introduction of this fence has made the world of difference to Alice Mukami. The smart fence is equipped with modern technology such as cameras and sensors to monitor the movement of animals, preventing them from destroying farms. The human-wildlife conflict in the area may soon be a thing of the past after the government and non-governmental organisations installed a smart digital fence to keep away not only the elephants but other wildlife. It has to cover big areas and at times it is difficult to follow a single marauding elephant for six days,” he says. “Although we see the effort of the KWS, the organisation is highly underfunded in comparison to its mandate. The elephants come in their hundreds destroying fences, breaking trees, water tanks, crops and even threaten human beings and other animals says farmer and business owner Douglas Bolton.īolton, however, blames the government for not adequately supporting the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). 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.
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