Understanding the behaviour of crop-raiding elephants: a project to propose conflict mitigation techniques in Kenya

Human-elephant conflict, specifically crop-raiding, is a major conservation challenge. With progressively more land being converted into agriculture in the Taita Taveta corridor, in Kenya, it is vital that we begin to understand why African elephants choose to engage in crop-raiding behaviour, what social dynamics predict raiding propensity, and what is the perceived risk of crop-raiding to elephants with current mitigation techniques in place.We will work with farmers who are affected by crop-raiding in the Sagalla community of Taita Taveta and conduct detailed crop-raid assessments of individual crop-raiding events. In Tsavo East, we will take field observations of elephant social dynamics and foraging behaviour. Crop, wild fodder, and dung samples will be collected for analysis of their nutritional content and stress hormone levels.