Written by Sri Lankan intern, Robin Cook Growing up in South Africa, I have always known that large fences, sometimes even electrified, stood between us and the African elephant population. To see wild elephants meant taking a trip to one of our many fenced-off reserves and observing the elephants from the safety of a vehicle. Most South Africans, therefore, do not experience Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) in the same form as…

Report by International Intern, Clara Moore Just on the other side of the rolling, green Sagalla hill range that the Elephants and Bees team calls home lays the Taita Sisal Estate.  Being partially managed by E&B’s close friends Kevin and Jen Carr-Hartley, we had the opportunity to visit this neighboring estate and learn about sisal as a drought-resistant crop.  Being one of the largest sisal estates in the world and…

Report written by International Intern, Brianna Stoyle Every Friday, about 25 students from Kileva Primary School, which shares a plot of land with the Elephants and Bees Research Center, gather together for a weekly Farm Club. In April of this year, the permaculture garden at Kileva Primary School underwent an exciting renovation, featuring a new design, outdoor classroom, and new pilot crops, consistent with principles of Conservation Agriculture and permaculture.…

Report by International Intern, Rohan Vince At Elephants and Bees, we work hard with our farmers to ensure that their fences are well maintained, and we provide ongoing training to give them the knowledge to be able to look after their hives, and more importantly their bees! We strive to give our farmers the best possible chance to attract and retain bees so that they can produce meaningful yields every…

Report by Sri Lankan Intern, Rebecca Sargent It’s been a steep learning curve since I arrived here in Wasgamuwa as the E&B and SLWCS teams have been working non-stop on a variety of different activities. Initially, during my first couple of weeks it was all about prepping the fences for delivery of some new bee colonies. Thanks to a very generous donation from Kiss Me Organics, we have been the…

Report buy International Intern, Ro Vince One of the projects that Elephants and Bees supports, in addition to working with beehive fence farmers is working with the local Primary School to the research centre, Kileva Eastfields, helping the children to learn more about the elephants that surround them and understand the value that wildlife brings to Kenya. On 5th June we taught the children all about the importance of World…

Sri Lankan Report by International Intern, Becca Sargent  When I first arrived in Wasgamuwa to act as project coordinator for the Elephants & Bees Sri Lanka site, I wasn’t sure I would survive! Although I am used to a warm climate having lived in Kenya, I was not prepared for the sheer heat and humidity of Sri Lanka. Every day was a struggle, particularly on days where we needed to wear…

Report by International Intern, Jackie Delie Undertaking the building or completion of a beehive fence takes a village.  As Elephants and Bees project interns, we began the process of preparing and completing the build of Nzumu’s fence, an employee of Elephants and Bees Project and a farmer in the Mwakoma village, Kenya.  Nzumu first installed his beehive fence in 2012 with 12 hives covering 75% of the land he plants…

Report written by Intentional Masters Student, Sophia Weinmann I loved my time as an E&B intern two years ago, that I couldn’t wait to continue working with STE and their Human Elephant Coexistence program. So, when I applied for graduate school at the University of Montana I was keen combine my passion for human elephant coexistence with my Peace Corps experience working with small-scale farmers. I wanted to understand how different…

Report by International Intern, Jackie Delie “Live as though you’re going to die tomorrow, but farm as though you’re going to live forever.” – Patrick Whitefield Farming is a way of life here in Mwakoma and Mwambiti.  To connect students to the farm behind their school, Elephants and Bee’s project came up with the idea to involve the children in a Farm Club.  The Farm Club is a voluntary club where…