S1, E11 Man vs Elephant

Elephants, the largest land animals, are majestic creatures. Many farmers in Kenya see them as lumbering pests. Human-wildlife conflict is becoming a bigger threat to elephants than poaching. Amboseli National Park is home to more than 1600 elephants. But the park can only sustain several hundred elephants. The rest migrate through private conservancies, community grazing land, and the expanding commercial farms springing up along a new highway linking Kenya and Tanzania. Unfortunately, many elephants forage for food while trampling farmers’ tomato and cornfields. As the elephants ply their ancient migratory routes, conflict is inevitable. After an elephant killed a Maasai herder at a watering hole for cattle, his friends speared five pachyderms in revenge. Kenya’s wildlife vets had to scramble to patch up the victims. A film by Sheila Sendeyo & Robert Gichira co-produced with NTV Kenya. GNV-011