MITOOMA- In a surprising turn of events, locals in the villages Kanyehikire, Kahesha, and Omukabanda in Kigyende Sub County, Mitooma District in South Western Uganda are facing an unusual crisis as elephants raided their gardens and homes, causing widespread chaos and massive destruction.
Reports indicate that these majestic animals did not only damage crops but also consumed alcohol from local distilleries, leading to increasingly erratic behavior.
Farmers in the area have reported significant losses as herds of elephants trampled through fields, destroying crops that are vital for their livelihoods.
A number of affected villagers have expressed their frustration, stating that the elephants are not only consuming the crops but also uprooting plants in search of food.
“We have lost half of our harvest this season,” lamented one of the affected farmers in the area.
What has baffled both villagers and wildlife officials is the elephants’ newfound taste for alcohol. Distilleries in the area have reported that the stray elephants consumed fermented products, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
This behavior has raised concerns about the safety of both the elephants and the villagers, experts suggesting that the alcohol may be altering the animals’ behavior, making them more aggressive and unpredictable.
In response to the escalating situation, locals want the Uganda Wildlife Officials to implement measures to protect both the villagers and the elephants to prevent similar future happenings.
Some of the suggestions include creating barriers to keep the elephants away from villages and developing strategies to secure local distilleries.
“We are trying to find a balance between protecting our crops and ensuring the elephants are safe. These animals are a part of our ecosystem, but their behavior needs to be managed carefully” an area local leader told the press.
This comes at a time when both villagers and conservationists are hopeful for a resolution that minimizes conflict and preserves the local wildlife. The community is rallying together, seeking sustainable solutions to coexist with these magnificent creatures while protecting their livelihoods.
Kigyende Sub-county Chairperson, Muhereza Evans, condemned the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) for its slow response to the calamity.
Greenford Mucunguzi Kapota, the Mitooma District Deputy Speaker and LC5 Councilor for Kanyabwanga Sub County visited the affected area and called on UWA to act swiftly.
As this story develops, it highlights the ongoing challenges of human-wildlife interaction in an ever-changing environment. UWA officials were not yet available to comment by press time.
Last year, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities visited the district and promised to surround crops fields with beehives attached to fence posts and strung together with wires to serve as a humane and eco-friendly way to protect crops from elephants.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Tourism Wildlife and Antiquities and Uganda Wildlife Authority [UWA], think erecting the beehive fence along Queen Elizabeth National Park will stop serve the same purpose in Mitooma district.
The resolution was arrived at after 200 homesteads were invaded by over 100 elephants in the district mainly in the sub-counties of Kiyanga and Rwoburunga.
According to Benon Karyaija, Mitooma district LCV chairperson, the elephants have destroyed crops such as; jack fruits, pineapples, cassava, and banana plantations in the villages of Kaburara, Rutobo, Nyanga, Hongyi, Kakimba, Bukiro I & II, Kamabare.
He further said hyenas and leopards also kill goats, sheep, pigs and cows in the homesteads neighbouring the park leaving farmers counting losses.
While visiting farms to assess crops damaged by the stray elephants, George Owoyesigire from the Tourism Ministry said a beehive fence would be erected along the boundary between Queen Elizabeth and Mitooma district as a temporary measure to prevent the escalating human-wildlife conflict.
“We have been implementing a number of interventions in different areas but given the landscape of Mitooma district, we have observed that the immediate intervention is establishing a beehive fence,” Owoyesigire said.
“Bees target the soft parts, they sting the elephants’ snout, ears, and eyes but they don’t kill the animals. This has worked very well in Kibale Forest National Park where we have over 1500 beehives but also research in other countries like Tanzania and Ranyuki in Kenya,” he said.
According to Owoyesigire, Kiyaga Sub-county requires 1000-2000 beehives are required to be attached to fence posts to deter the elephants from crossing from the game park into the neighbouring villages.
Owoyesigire said that the bees come with economic opportunities and incentives for the locals who he urged to embrace apiary as part of eco-tourism.
Charles Tumwesigye Baryamwisaki, a commissioner in charge of Tourism confirmed that the beehive project is a World Bank-funded project to end the human-wildlife conflict.
Other long term interventions to mitigate the wildlife conflict in Mitooma include; excavation of trenches, deployment of rangers, erecting of electric fence, community sensitization and putting alternative livelihood enterprises.
The Director of Conservation at UWA, John Makombo said they are set to start assessing the boundary along National Queen Elizabeth Park to identify the right mitigation measure to prevent future invasions.
“We shall start by assessing the magnitude of the affected area, procurement of beehives, training and equipping communities with skills because if you dump the beehives in the bush and you don’t pay attention to them, they will not colonise the area,” Makombo said.
According to Bashir Hangi, the senior communications officer at UWA, the new law requires that money from shared revenue goes to the communities as a conditional grant for specific projects. “Projects have to be approved and UWA must be in agreement with the projects in implementation,” he said.
Thomas Tayebwa, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament also expressed concern that the process to compensate farmers whose crops are destroyed by wild animals is tedious.
Tayebwa who hails from Mittoma district added: “Police officers, agricultural officers have turned the compensation process into opportunities. They demand money from the farmers to make scene reports. Others [farmers] are even forced to buy forms. Why can’t this system change to make the compensation process more convenient for our people?”
Meanwhile, studies show beehive fences have benefited farmers in several East African countries, and projects elsewhere have begun to test them as well, but several uncertainties, including their success at a scale that doesn’t just displace the elephants to the first unfenced farm, suggest they should still be used with other techniques as part of a toolkit to reduce human-elephant conflict.
