'Bee boxes' to keep away wild elephants

Invasion of human habitations by wild animals results not only in the destruction of crops but also loss of human lives. As a deterrent, some people put up electrified fences. Some others even kill the animals. Not the right solution, for sure.

Now, taking advantage of the fact that elephants are known to have a fear of bees, Khadi and Village Industries Commission recently launched a project called RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant-Human Attacks using Bees) in Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka state. 

It involves placing boxes of bees along the periphery of the villages. There are strings that connect the 'bee boxes'. If and when an elephant tries to cross the boundary, its impact on the string causes the bees to swarm the elephant herds, deterring them from moving forward.

Source: The Hindu

To begin with, around 20 such bee boxes have been placed at four locations, and high-resolution night-vision cameras record the impact the bees have on the elephants.

Undoubtedly an innovative solution. It would be interesting to know if this works.

(This post is a part of the monthly We Are The World Blogfest that goes out on the last Friday of every month to highlight the positive stories around us. On Facebook and on Twitter.)

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