Instagram – May 06, 2021 @ 16:47

Have you heard of the method of using chilli to repel elephants from crops?

In areas where elephants often come to close for comfort to crops, farmers burn chilli pepper blocks to produce an acrid smoke. It’s harmless to elephants but the smell is enough to repel them, protecting the precious crops. This innovative, non-lethal use of chilli plants not only reduces human-wildlife conflict, but also creates goodwill for conservation efforts. ⁣

AWF, with the support of the European Union, has so far encouraged and supported 48 chili growers in Mbire district of Zimbabwe, helping them to access seedlings, farm inputs, and markets for their crops. It is hoped others in the area will also follow suit, buoyed by their success in this ingenious way of tackling human wildlife conflict

Posted @withregram • @africanwildlifefoundation AWF works with communities in Northern Zimbabwe to plant chilli peppers so as to ward off elephants – an excellent strategy to curb human-elephant conflict in the region. #AWFCommunities

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