NAIROBI, Kenya
As dawn breaks over the rolling hills of Kenya’s Amboseli ecosystem, a low hum rises above the fields, not from tractors or generators, but from drones.
These small buzzing machines are becoming a powerful new ally in the age-old struggle between humans and elephants.
For generations, farmers living along the borders of Kenya’s wildlife conservancies have watched helplessly as elephants trample through their maize, beans, and tomato fields in search of food and water.
What begins as a nightly trek for the animals often ends in ruined crops, broken fences, and frustration for communities struggling to survive off the land.
“Elephants are our biggest challenge,” said farmer Joel Mulinga, standing in his tomato field, where patches of flattened plants mark a recent intrusion.
“They destroy everything in minutes. But now we have support through drones. It is a fast and safe way to manage them. You just fly it, and it can cover the whole farm.”
Across parts of southern Kenya, including Kajiado and Amboseli, farmers like Mulinga are turning to technology to reduce conflict with wildlife.
Conservation groups such as the Big Life Foundation have introduced drones equipped with thermal cameras to monitor elephants’ movements both day and night.
The devices detect heat signatures and alert nearby communities when herds are approaching, giving them precious time to respond before damage occurs.
Corp. David Ntinina, a wildlife officer and drone pilot with the Big Life Foundation, says the approach has transformed their work.
“The drone has assisted a lot,” he explained. “You just fly directly above the elephants. It has lights and a buzzing sound that they dislike, so they turn back to the conservancy. It is safer than torches or vehicles because you don’t need to get close.”
At night, Ntinina’s and the ranger’s screen glows inside the patrol vehicle as he monitors the herd in shades of white and gray through an infrared feed.
Each elephant appears as a bright moving figure against the cool darkness of the savannah.
When the herd approaches a farm boundary, he maneuvers the drone above them, its lights blinking and sound whirring through the air until the animals slowly turn back toward the conservancy.
During the day, the same drone provides a clear aerial image in color, allowing him to watch the elephants’ movements in real time and guide them safely away from cultivated land.
Previously, rangers relied on trucks, spotlights, and firing blanks to scare elephants away, methods that often escalated tension and risked harm to both animals and people.
With drones, operators can respond within minutes, guiding elephants safely away from farms from as far away as 4 kilometers (2.5 miles).
The machines also link to GPS-collared elephants, allowing real-time tracking across vast landscapes.
- The buzz that chills
One of the key reasons the drones work so effectively is their sound.
To elephants, the high-pitched buzz of the propellers mimics the noise of swarming bees, their natural enemy.
Elephants instinctively avoid bees, which can sting sensitive areas around their eyes and inside their trunks.
As a result, when the drone approaches, the herd reacts immediately, retreating from the perceived danger.
“They really fear that sound,” said Maasai farmer Lekato Saitoti, who grows maize and onions near Kimana.
“Before the drones, we used to shout, bang tins, or light fires, but the elephants didn’t care. Now, when they hear that buzzing, they move quickly away. Even in daylight, it works just like magic.”
The technology is part of a broader effort to balance conservation with community welfare.
Kenya is home to more than 36,000 elephants, and while numbers have recovered after years of poaching, their growing population is increasingly pushing into farmland due to habitat loss and climate pressures.
Droughts, shrinking water sources, and expanding human settlements have made encounters more frequent and dangerous.
Ntinina explained that the drones’ resemblance to bees has become one of the simplest yet most effective deterrents in modern conservation.
“It’s natural behavior,” he said. “The buzzing reminds them of bees, so they move off before we even get close. That’s why we can use the drones both at night and during the day, it’s the same fear response.”
“Drones are not just about chasing elephants,” said Ntinina. “They help us understand movement patterns and prevent conflict before it happens.”
The results are promising. In several pilot zones, incidents of crop destruction have dropped sharply, and the number of elephants injured or killed in retaliation has declined.
Communities are now working more closely with conservancy rangers, sharing information and coordinating patrols based on drone data.
- Challenges remain
The cost of equipment and training limits access for many rural areas, and unpredictable weather can ground flights.
Conservationists are now exploring solar charging systems and community-owned drone units to make the initiative more sustainable.
For Mulinga and his neighbors, the technology has brought relief and renewed hope.
“Before, we feared the nights,” he said. “Now we can sleep knowing someone is watching over the farms and the elephants too.”
In a land where survival often pits people against wildlife, Kenya’s sky-bound solution is proving that coexistence is possible.
The gentle giants still roam, and the farmers still plant, but now, they share the same airspace, linked by technology that listens, watches, and protects both.
