Elephants & Bees in the Kruger Park

Can bees deter elephants from watering points? Seeking alternative management strategies for African elephants in the Kruger National Park
Principle Investigator: Emma Devereux
Advisors: Dr. Mduduzi Ndlovu, Dr. Sam Ferrera, Dr. Laurence Kruger
Collaborators: David Bunn, Melissa Chieffe

Hello! My name is Emma Devereux and I just graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in Evolutionary Anthropology. While I ultimately intend to apply to veterinary school, I have decided to take a gap year first to pursue a conservation-based research project in the Kruger National Park and surrounding areas in South Africa. But I need your help.

Conservation of biodiversity is the primary aim of management efforts in National Parks throughout South Africa. However, in parks supporting elephants (e.g. Kruger, Addo Elephant and Mapungubwe National Parks), increasing elephant populations have caused marked changes in ecosystem conditions and pose a threat to existing vegetation communities. Declines in large tree populations as a result of increasing elephant densities have raised concerns about possible cascade effects on bird and mammal species who utilize tall trees for nesting and foraging sites. In addition to biodiversity losses, growing elephant numbers have also provoked increased rates of human-elephant conflict in areas where elephant ranges overlap with human settlements. Examples of such conflict typically include elephant crop raiding and property destruction, both of which may lead to lethal management of problem animals.



A desire to address these concerns formed the foundation for this proposed project.  Our research aims to evaluate a cost effective, non-labor intensive method for managing elephant populations in and around protected areas in South Africa. Ideally, the implementation of such a deterrent strategy would provide a practical alternative to lethal management of problem causing elephants. Building upon Dr. Lucy King’s “Elephants & Bees” project, we will primarily be testing the viability of using beehives (African honeybees) as elephant management tools in areas where they are considered 'damage causing'. If bees prove effective in deterring elephants, our research could provide park managers and local community members with an evaluated management strategy for protecting vulnerable species from elephant damage, safeguarding infrastructure, and mitigating human-elephant conflict.
 

I am counting down the days until my departure for South Africa on August 28. If all goes according to plan I will be back in the Kruger Park mounting bee boxes (as I am doing in the photo above), smearing chilli paste on tree bark, and observing elephants by September 2015. The duration of this project will be 9 months. Although I have already received two grants and am currently waiting to hear back from several other organizations regarding funding, I still need your support to meet my overall goal of $6,000.

Thank you so much for your consideration.