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Studies

The Virtual Fence Dynamic: A Breakthrough for Low-Cost and Sustainable Mitigation of Human-Elephant Conflict in Subsistence Agriculture?

The Virtual Fence Dynamic: A Breakthrough for Low-Cost and Sustainable Mitigation of Human-Elephant Conflict in Subsistence Agriculture?

By Michael La Grange, Collen Matema, Bella Nyamukure & Richard Hoare - Frontiers in Conservation Science Abstract Attempts to deter elephants from entering crop fields and human settlements in Africa have used various barriers (e.g. electric fences, chilli fences, beehive fences or plant barriers), situated on or very near the boundaries of fields or villages, with rather variable success. We explored a very simple new barrier concept based upon re-arranging the layout of foreign stimuli already known to arouse suspicion and fear among elephants. Deterrence involved deploying unnaturally...

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“Smelly” Elephant Repellent: Assessing the Efficacy of a Novel Olfactory Approach to Mitigating Elephant Crop Raiding in Uganda and Kenya

“Smelly” Elephant Repellent: Assessing the Efficacy of a Novel Olfactory Approach to Mitigating Elephant Crop Raiding in Uganda and Kenya

By Lydia N. Tiller, Ernest Oniba, Godfrey Opira, Ewan J. Brennan, Lucy E. King, Victor Ndombi, Derick Wanjala & Marion R. Robertson - Diversity Abstract Human–elephant conflict is increasing across many parts of Asia and Africa. Mitigating elephant crop raiding has become a major focus of conservation intervention, however, many existing methods for tackling this problem are expensive and difficult to execute. Thus, there is a need for more affordable, farm-based methods. Testing these methods is key to ensuring their effectiveness and feasibility. In this study, we tested a novel...

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The Secret to an Elephant’s Trunk Is Skin Deep

The Secret to an Elephant’s Trunk Is Skin Deep

By Richard Sima, The New York Times The elephant has a secret hiding right on its nose. Its famous trunk, full of muscle and devoid of bone, can move in a virtually infinite number of directions and is capable of performing an array of tasks, such as tearing up foliage and suctioning up water and tortilla chips. These abilities have inspired nature lovers as well as engineers working to build robots capable of similar feats of flexibility and force. But the trunk is more than mere muscle, and its abilities may also depend on something obvious but often ignored: the appendage’s skin. In a...

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New techniques for retrieving fingerprints from ivory to mitigate poaching

New techniques for retrieving fingerprints from ivory to mitigate poaching

By King's College London, Phys.org The use of new techniques for retrieving fingerprints from ivory has been validated for the first time by scientists from King's College London and University College London in collaboration with imaging and fingerprint experts from the Metropolitan Police. The findings could lead to wider use of fingerprinting methods in the field to more easily identify poachers in regions with high levels of ivory-related crime. Ivory has previously been considered difficult to obtain fingerprints from as it is a highly porous, ridged material. This means fingerprinting...

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