Neighbors with tusks: How Kenyans learn to live alongside elephants

As East Africa's wildlife migration swells in August, Kenya’s savannas attract global visitors to see its famed African elephants. Safari tours have become popular with Chinese travelers, who dream of experiencing this wildlife firsthand. Yet, the relationship between people and elephants is complicated. For local residents in communities surrounding Amboseli National Park, elephants are neighbors, sharing the same landscape.

While safari drives aim to capture photos of these majestic creatures, encounters can sometimes lead to conflict. Elephants may trample crops, disturb livestock, and even injure people. Maasai communities, in particular, face such challenges when elephants intrude upon farms or homes. Purity Lakara, a female Maasai ranger, emphasizes that their approach is not to drive elephants away, but to ensure safety for both people and wildlife.

Rangers quickly respond to reports of elephants near villages or farmland, advise residents to maintain distance, and employ non-lethal methods to guide the animals away from populated areas.

Conservation efforts aim to benefit both wildlife and people. Some programs have improved access to water and essential services, while also involving locals in wildlife monitoring, early warning, and protection. Daniel Mulandi, a Maasai resident, shared photos of elephants on his phone, explaining that years ago, most Maasai people did not appreciate elephants.

However, after experiencing their role in the community’s natural heritage, Mulandi views them differently. This shift in perception occurred following a history of elephant poaching during the 1970s and 1980s, which drastically reduced African elephant populations. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora banned commercial ivory trade in 1989, but poaching remains a concern.

Despite efforts to curb poaching, habitat fragmentation and human-elephant conflict persist as ongoing challenges.

In Nairobi, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Nursery provides care for orphaned elephants, teaching them survival skills before reintroducing them into the wild. This initiative reflects the broader goal of ecosystem preservation and climate resilience. Evan Mwavua Mkala, a programs manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, highlights that Kenya's elephant population has grown from around 16,000 in 1990 to approximately 42,000 today, thanks to strengthened laws and community-centered conservation.

Similarly, in southwest China, a herd of Asian elephants migrated over 1,300 kilometers northward in 2020 and 2021, prompting authorities to use monitoring and early-warning systems to keep residents safe. The herd eventually returned to suitable habitat, demonstrating that protecting wildlife can involve facilitating the coexistence of people and animals in shared landscapes.

As elephant populations recover in some parts of Africa, addressing human-elephant conflict, habitat protection, and community livelihoods will remain crucial. Conservation ultimately revolves around finding practical solutions for people and wildlife to coexist harmoniously. For elephants, this means a landscape where they can roam freely without threats. For people, it means safety in their homes, farms, and livelihoods. Ultimately, the goal is not to isolate people and wildlife but to integrate them into a shared home.