Few animals elicit such drastically different human emotions, so do elephants. Elephants capture the affection of people but also inspire animosity and fear at the same time. This is because there are conflicts with people over space, critical resources, costs of damages and general insecurity to people. This paper examined field evidence and interviewed expert key informants on current intensity and frequency of human-elephants in Amboseli Ecosystem. According to them, generally, the most prevalent (score of 1 lowest to 10 highest) threats to elephants were competition for critical resources (6.32 ± 0.44) followed by blocking of migration (6.24 ± 0.46), harassment of elephants (4.83 ± 0.75), poaching (4.57 ± 0.37), and retaliatory killings (3.78 ± 0.31). For threats that elephants pose to people, the most prevalent one was crop raiding (6.95 ± 0.26) followed by environmental degradation (6.71 ± 0.46), general insecurity to people (5.76 ± 0.65), property destruction (5.16 ± 0.41), injury and death to livestock (3.78 ± 0.37), and injury and death to people (2.71 ± 0.27). For the severity of the threats, the highest score was given to crop raiding whose average score was 7.90 ± 0.24 followed by environmental destruction and degradation (6.89 ± 0.43), injury and death to people (6.72 ± 0.44), injury and death to livestock (6.36 ± 0.50), property destruction (5.78 ± 0.49), general insecurity to people (5.62 ± 0.64). Severity levels followed the same trend or varied slightly. These drivers of human-elephant conflicts need to be addressed decisively to protect both people and elephants. There is a need to ensure local people's benefit from elephants through ecotourism investments such as wildlife sanctuaries, leasing critical space for elephants' dispersal on acceptable terms, through appropriate compensation schemes for elephant costs, and supporting local community wildlife rangers to prevent conflicts. * Corresponding author. M. M. Okello et al.463
Elephants in the borderland of Kenya and Tanzania landscape roam freely outside the protected areas. These areas are critical for long term elephant survival and viability. Understanding the ecological conditions in these landscapes and threats to elephants is critical in future elephant management. Using collared elephants, the habitat use and selection was studied. Elephants showed selection for habitats, but selection was independent on season, individual elephant and gender. Bushland and woodland habitats were most preferred by elephants because they represented better habitat patchiness and heterogeneity. This range was also shared by other elephants and wild large mammals particularly zebra, gazelles and giraffes. The presence of livestock in all habitats results in competition for forage and water and leads to conflicts over space and resource. Habitat (and its quality, quantity and risks) may be the most important factor in elephant viability and ranging in the landscape. Further, securing quality and sufficient space and controlling human-elephant conflicts are the most important aspects for elephant management. We therefore recommend focus on space needs and controlling conflicts outside protected areas, and negotiations with land owners for elephant space in this borderland landscape.
Elephants capture the affection of people due to its size, social behavior and its flagship role in tourism. But it also elicits animosity because of the damages and insecurity it causes to local communities. This paper examined the current opinions of local community on humanelephant interactions in Amboseli Area. Results indicated that local community participation in elephant conservation was low. However, a majority (76%) of local community members indicated that elephant conservation was possible, and 70% said it was important. Most people (88%) believed that there was an overall increase in elephant numbers, and associated humanelephant conflicts in recent years. The majority (83%) blamed conflicts on human encroachment on elephant space, elephant crop raiding (82%), and indifference to the plight of local community by conservationists (78%), effects of drought and climate change (75%). Helping the local community bear the cost of elephant conservation by preventing damages, providing benefits, and being inclusive in elephant conservation process is a better strategy at elephant conservation.
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