Coping with Human-Elephant Conflict in Laikipia District, Kenya

Poor and vulnerable residents are continuously confronted with the never-ending challenge of protecting their lives, property and farms from an age-old gigantic friend turned enemy. Meanwhile, the excited and expectant local and foreign tourists stride the landscape in a quest to catch a glimpse of the age-old gigantic wonder: The African Elephant. Laikipia district has been a perfect arena of action bringing together local farmers, conservation actors and tourism enthusiasts in an uneasy co-existence over the years. Losses attributed to elephants have outweighed the benefits, especially for the local farmers. However, they have not lost hope and have developed different mechanisms to cope with this conservation challenge. The power of collaboration between wildlife conservation actors and residents offer a new hope for co-existence and support for conservation initiatives in Laikipia.