DAR ES SALAAM, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A Tanzanian government senior official on Monday urged farmers living close to wildlife protected areas to fence their farms with chili peppers that will help keep stray elephants away.
Mary Masanja, the deputy minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, also advised the farmers to engage in beehive fencing in their farms, saying elephants also dislike bees.
She made the advice in the wake of reported wave of incidents of elephants straying from protected areas, including national parks, killing villagers and destroying farm crops in different parts of the country.
"Elephants run away from disturbing bee sounds and they also have sensitive noses and are repelled by the smell of chili peppers," she told the parliament in the capital of Dodoma.
On Sunday, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Damas Ndumbaro, issued a warning to villages adjacent to the Nyerere National Park, saying at least 200 elephants have strayed from the park. Enditem
