S3|EP38 - Understanding Human–Elephant Conflict and Conservation with Save the Elephants Foundation

Elephants are among the planet’s most iconic species, revered as gentle giants, ecosystem engineers, and keystone species essential to biodiversity conservation. Yet across Africa, these magnificent animals face one of their gravest challenges—not poaching alone, but rising human–elephant conflict. In this episode, we speak with Purity Milgo from the Save the Elephants Foundation, an organization founded by Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton and globally recognized for its groundbreaking work in elephant conservation and biodiversity preservation.

From the vast savannahs where the African bush elephant roams, to the dense forests that shelter the elusive African forest elephant, these species are under increasing pressure as human populations expand, agriculture spreads, and infrastructure fragments ancient wildlife corridors. In Kenya, Save the Elephants is pioneering innovative solutions that not only protect elephants but also support human–wildlife coexistence, ensuring that both communities and elephants thrive.

Purity highlights how Save the Elephants addresses the urgent problem of human–elephant conflict. Expanding farmland, overgrazing, and habitat loss push elephants into villages, where they raid crops, damage water sources, and fuel resentment. The Save the Elephant animal rescue team and local partners have developed remarkable strategies to reduce conflict, from elephant corridors linking fragmented habitats to community-led monitoring by “Mama Tembos”—women trained to safeguard these pathways. These initiatives represent a model of biodiversity management rooted in local engagement and conservation science.

One of the most inspiring solutions is the Elephants and Bees Project. By installing beehive fences around farms, communities deter elephants naturally, as the giants instinctively avoid bees. This protects harvests, supports biodiversity preservation, and fosters tolerance between people and elephants. Other creative methods, such as smelly organic repellent fences and motion-sensor buzz boxes, are helping farmers live alongside elephants without resorting to lethal measures. Together, these approaches build a toolbox for coexistence that can be shared across Africa.

Save the Elephants also leads world-class research. Its Samburu Elephant Project has studied wild herds for over 30 years, making it one of the most detailed long-term monitoring efforts of any elephant population. Through GPS tracking, behavioral observation, and anti-poaching programs, researchers reveal how elephants shape landscapes as ecosystem engineers, dispersing seeds, creating water access for other species, and sustaining biodiversity. By safeguarding elephants, we are safeguarding the health of entire ecosystems.

The episode also explores the stories of orphans in Samburu—young elephants left without families due to drought and poaching—who adapt in extraordinary ways by joining new groups or roaming independently. These intimate insights show why elephants are more than just charismatic wildlife; they are intelligent, emotional beings whose survival is inseparable from the broader mission of biodiversity preservation and conservation in Africa.

As Purity emphasizes, saving elephants requires partnerships. Community involvement, scientific research, policy advocacy, and direct action are all vital. Donations, volunteering, and spreading awareness are powerful ways for individuals worldwide to support the mission. Every effort contributes to saving elephants, protecting biodiversity, and ensuring future generations inherit landscapes where humans and elephants live together in balance.

Kenya’s experience provides a powerful blueprint for global biodiversity conservation. By protecting African elephants—the bush elephant and forest elephant alike—we also protect forests, grasslands, and wetlands, and we promote biodiversity management that sustains life across the continent. Elephants truly are keystone species; saving them means saving entire ecosy