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P People are turning to bottles to keep cats on counters and spray an apple mist to chase dogs off tables, but when it's about preventing elephants from to destroy cultures, humans need to be creative. Some desperate African farmers have turned to the installation of hives, an expensive and delicate last resort that relies on the fear of being stung by elephants. But a metamorphosis of this method, described in a study published in Current Biology suggests that farmers can instill this fear of bees without relying on the bite.
When hives are disturbed, bees grow a mixture of volatile organic compounds that signal to their mates, it's time to attack the invader. Scientists believe that years of bites taught elephants that when they smell pheromones "alarm", it's time to scoot. And so, as the study illustrates, you do not even really need bees to prevent a parade of elephants – you just need their pheromones.
"We badume that they learn to react to the smell of pheromones, badociating the odor with negative experiences when interacting with hives," co-authored the Study and University of Hawaii at Mānoa expert in insect ecology Mark Wright, Ph.D., tells Inverse . "Elephants remember negative experiences for a long time, and the memory of occasional stings and interaction with hives can stay with them for ages."
Wright and his team knew that the farmers had managed to protect their fences with hives, so they began to discover if they could get the same deterrent effect with the alarm pheromones alone. The scientists teamed up with biotechnology company ISCA Technologies to create a prototype "alarm pheromone". For the human nose, the chemical mix has a strong durian odor, which is probably rooted in compound isoamyl acetate, the same compound that bananas produce when they start to rot.
The mixture of pheromones was placed slowly release matrix, which was then put inside hanging socks, weighed with rocks. These socks, as can be seen in the photo above, were hung from branches around Kruger National Park in South Africa, accompanied by odorless lure socks. Just as they thought, 25 of the 29 elephants that fell on the pheromone-loaded socks became alert and unsure after sniffing them, before moving away. Socks that did not contain pheromones however, led curious elephants to try to nibble them.
Notably, the elephants that felt the pheromones – like those in the video below – walked away calmly, suggesting that they thought they might be stung.
A frightened elephant could pose a danger to a human – and to his flock – so if the pheromone potion is to be used. on farms, it is crucial that it elicits a calm response. The researchers point out that "the need for elephant management strategies has become more pressing as human populations grow in Africa and Asia, creating larger areas where elephants come into conflict with humans by trampling crops or causing further damage. these conflicts erupt. A trampled human or a destroyed crop field often means that elephants deemed destructive are killed.
"This work allows us to develop a sustainable management tool," says Wright. "Human-wildlife conflict is a serious problem and the development of sustainable and effective ways to deter elephants from breaking fences and looting farms is a valuable contribution."
The potion's effectiveness is based on his sense of smell and his years of development. learn how much he fears to be stung in the soft tissues of their eyes and inside their trunks. Elephants, like humans, hate being stung, and have evolved to learn what semiochemicals mean trouble. Humans can also smell alarm pheromones, Wright explains, but we obviously do not have the instinct to hurry up. Instead, we are forced to keep an eye on a swarm – or cope with bites.
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