Beat it: Den Staat farmers in South Africa use drumming and fire to deter elephants
“Last night we had a very big fight with an elephant in our tomato field,” said Joeman Moyo, a farmer at Den Staat farm in South Africa’s Limpopo region. “We used a torch … to make a fire. The elephant would go away but return when I put out the torch. I also burned a […]
A South African farmer recounted his recent encounter with an elephant on his Den Staat farm in Limpopo region. According to Joeman Moyo, the battle with the giant mammal involved using a torch and a burned tire, but alas, the elephant returned. The 5-hectare farm, once reclaimed by a previously displaced community and now collectively owned in a Community Property Association, presents ongoing challenges for its residents.
The farm's smallholder farmers resort to various strategies to ward off these destructive animals, including beating metal tins, hanging plastic containers, and setting fires. However, elephants remain the most significant concern for the 160 inhabitants, as they are notorious for damaging crops that are their primary source of income.
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