Spicy ping-pong balls and flaming dung keep elephants at bay in Zimbabwe

Detailed summary

On the front line of the human-elephant conflict, coming up with non-lethal methods of protecting crops means getting creative. In one village in Zimbabwe, a multilayered approach…

On the front line of the human-elephant conflict, coming up with non-lethal methods of protecting crops means getting creative. In one village in Zimbabwe, a multilayered approach is taken – first a fence covered in chili infused rags and chili powder traps, if that fails elephant dung covered in chili oil is set alight, finally as a last resort a makeshift bazooka (powered by a deodorant) fires chili-oil filled ping-pong balls at persistent elephants. The last elephant who took a pingpong ball to the face did not return to the village for over a year.

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