How bees can keep the peace between elephants and humans | Lucy King

Translator: Nelson Simfukwe Reviewer: Joachim Mangilima

Ever since I can remember,

Kwa kadiri ninavyoweza kumbuka,

African elephants have filled me with a sense of complete awe.

Tembo wa Afrika wamekuwa wakinijaza furaha mno.

They are the largest land mammal alive today on planet Earth,

Ni wanyama wakubwa zaidi wa nchi kavu na wanaonyonyesha waliopo hai nyakati hizi,

weighing up to seven tons,

wakifikia hadi uzito wa tani saba,

standing three and a half meters tall at the shoulder.

wakiwa na urefu wa mita tatu na nusu kufikia mabega yao.

They can eat up to 400 kilos of food in a day,

Wana uwezo wa kula chakula hadi kiasi cha kilo 400 kwa siku,

and they disperse vital plant seeds across thousands of kilometers

na wanasambaza mbegu muhimu za mimea kwa takribani maelfu ya kilomita

during their 50-to-60-year life span.

katika kipindi cha miaka 50 hadi 60 ya maisha yao.

Central to their compassionate and complex society are the matriarchs.

Tembo jike ni kiini cha jamii yao iliyo karimu na ngumu kuielewa.

These female, strong leaders nurture the young

Hawa jike, viongozi imara hukuza watoto

and navigate their way through the challenges of the African bush

na kuongoza njia katika kuzishinda changamoto zilizopo kwenye mbuga za Afrika

to find food, water and security.

kutafuta chakula, maji na usalama.

Their societies are so complex,

Jamii zao ni ngumu kuzielewa,

we're yet to still fully tease apart

bado hatujafanikiwa kuweza tambua

how they communicate, how they verbalize to each other,

namna gani wanawasiliana, namna gani wanabadilishana maongezi,

how their dialects work.

namna gani wanatumia lugha zao.

And we don't really understand yet how they navigate the landscape,

Na hatuelewi kiundani namna gani wanatafuta njia katika uwanda,

remembering the safest places to cross a river.

kukumbuka njia zilizo salama katika kuvuka mto.

I'm pretty sure that like me,

Nina uhakika kabisa kama nilivyo mimi,

most of you in this room have a similar positive emotional response

wengi wenu mliomo humu mtakuwa na hisia chanya zinazofanana

to these most magnificent of all animals.

kwa wanyama hawa maridadi kuliko wanyama wote.

It's really hard not to have watched a documentary,

Ni ngumu sana kutoangalia makala ya televisheni,

learned about their intelligence

kujifunza kuhusu uwezo wao mkubwa wa akili

or, if you've been lucky, to see them for yourselves

au, kama umeshawahi bahatika, kuwaona kwa macho yako

on safari in the wild.

wakati ukitembelea mbuga.

But I wonder how many of you

Lakini najiuliza wangapi kati yenu

have been truly, utterly terrified by them.

kiukweli kabisa, mmewahi kuwaogopa wanyama hawa.

I was lucky to be brought up in Southern Africa

Nilibahatika kukulia kusini mwa Afrika

by two teacher parents

wazazi wangu wakiwa ni walimu

who had long holidays but very short budgets.

waliokuwa na likizo ndefu lakini bajeti isiyomudu mambo mengi.

And so we used to take our old Ford Cortina Estate,

Na hivyo tulikuwa tukitumia gari yetu kuukuu aina ya Ford Cortina Estate,

and with my sister, we'd pile in the back,

na dada yangu, tutapakia mizigo nyuma ya gari,

take our tents and go camping in the different game reserves

tutabeba mahema na kwenda kuweka kambi katika mbuga mbalimbali

in Southern Africa.

kusini mwa Afrika

It really was heaven for a young, budding zoologist like myself.

Ilikuwa ni kama hisia inayokaribia na ya mbinguni, kwa mtafiti mdogo wa wanyama ninaechipukia kama mimi.

But I remember even at that young age

Lakini nakumbuka hata katika umri ule mdogo

that I found the tall electric fences blocking off the game parks

ambapo niliona senyenge ndefu za umeme zilizozunguka mbuga

quite divisive.

zikileta mgawanyiko.

Sure, they were keeping elephants out of the communities,

Hakika, ziliwazuia tembo kuishi na jamii,

but they also kept communities out of their wild spaces.

lakini pia zilizuia jamii kuweza fika katika mapori.

It really was quite a challenge to me at that young age.

Ilikuwa ni changamoto sana katika umri ule mdogo.

It was only when I moved to Kenya at the age of 14,

Ilikuwa ni mpaka nilipohamia Kenya nikiwa na umri wa miaka 14,

when I got to connect to the vast, wild open spaces of East Africa.

Nilipoweza kukutana na sehemu za pori zilizo kubwa ndani ya Afrika Mashariki.

And it is here now that I feel truly, instinctively,

Na hapa sasa ninahisi kweli, binafsi,

really at home.

nipo nyumbani.

I spent many, many happy years studying elephant behavior in a tent,

Nimeishi miaka mingi ya furaha, nikiwatafiti tembo nikiwa ndani ya hema,

in Samburu National Reserve,

katika mbuga ya taifa ya Samburu,

under the guideship of professor Fritz Vollrath and Iain Douglas-Hamilton,

chini ya uangalizi wa Profesa Fritz Vollrath na Iain Douglas-Hamilton,

studying for my PhD and understanding the complexities of elephant societies.

nikisomea shahada ya uzamivu na kuelewa mambo mengi magumu ya jamii za tembo.

But now, in my role as head of the human-elephant coexistence program

Lakini sasa, katika jukumu langu nikiwa kama mkuu wa programu ya uwepo tembo na binadamu pamoja

for Save the Elephants,

kwa ajili ya mradi wa Okoa Tembo,

we're seeing so much change happening so fast

tunaona mabadiliko mengi yakitokea haraka

that it's urged a change in some of our research programs.

ambayo yanachochea mabadiliko katika programu zetu za utafiti.

No longer can we just sit and understand elephant societies

Hatuwezi tena tukakaa na kuelewa jamii za tembo

or study just how to stop the ivory trade,

au kujifunza namna za kuzuia biashara ya pembe za tembo,

which is horrific and still ongoing.

ambayo inatisha na bado inaendelea.

We're having to change our resources more and more

Tunahitajika kubadili rasilimali zetu zaidi na zaidi

to look at this rising problem of human-elephant conflict,

tukiangazia matatizo yanajitokeza katika migogoro ya binadamu na tembo,

as people and pachyderms compete for space and resources.

pale binadamu na tembo wanapogombania nafasi na rasilimali.

It was only as recently as the 1970s

Ni hivi karibuni katika miaka ya 1970

that we used to have 1.2 million elephants roaming across Africa.

ambapo tulikuwa na tembo takribani milioni 1.2 wakizunguka Afrika.

Today, we're edging closer to only having 400,000 left.

Leo hii, tuna takaribani tembo 400,000 waliosalia.

And at the same time period, the human population has quadrupled,

Na katika wakati huo huo, jamii ya binadamu imeongezeka mara nne,

and the land is being fragmented at such a pace

na ardhi inagawanywa katika kasi

that it's really hard to keep up with.

ambayo ni ngumu kwenda nayo.

Too often, these migrating elephants end up stuck inside communities,

Mara nyingi, tembo hawa wanaohama huishia katika jamii za binadamu,

looking for food and water

wakitafuta maji na chakula

but ending up breaking open water tanks,

lakini huishia kuvunja pipa za maji

breaking pipes

wakivunja mabomba

and, of course, breaking into food stores for food.

na, pia, huvunja maghala ya chakula.

It's really a huge challenge.

Ni changamoto kubwa mno.

Can you imagine the terror

Unaweza fikiria hatari

of an elephant literally ripping the roof off your mud hut

ya tembo akiwa anavunja paa la nyumba yako ya udongo

in the middle of the night

usiku wa manane

and having to hold your children away

na kuwatupa watoto wako pembeni

as the trunk reaches in, looking for food in the pitch dark?

anaposogeza mkonga, akitafuta chakula katika giza?

These elephants also trample and eat crops,

Tembo hawa wanakanyaga na kula mazao,

and this is traditionally eroding away

na hii inaondoa

that tolerance that people used to have for elephants.

uvumilivu ambao watu wamekuwa nao kwa tembo.

And sadly, we're losing these animals by the day

Na cha kusikitisha, tunawapoteza wanyama hawa ndani ya siku

and, in some countries, by the hour --

na, katika baadhi ya nchi, ndani ya saa --

to not only ivory poaching

si tu kwa ajili kupata pembe za ndovu

but this rapid rise in human-elephant conflict

lakini mgogoro huu unaokua haraka kati ya binadamu na tembo

as they compete for space and resources.

wanapogombania nafasi na rasilimali.

It's a massive challenge.

Ni changamoto kubwa mno.

I mean, how do you keep seven-ton pachyderms,

Namaanisha, unawezaje kupambana na tembo wa tani saba,

that often come in groups of 10 or 12,

ambao kwa kawaida huja katika makundi ya tembo 10 au 12,

out of these very small rural farms

katika mashamba madogo ya kijijini

when you're dealing with people

unapokuwa unaongelea watu

who are living on the very edge of poverty?

ambao wanaishi katika ufukara?

They don't have big budgets.

Hawana bajeti kubwa.

How do you resolve this issue?

Unawezaje kusuluhisha?

Well, one issue is, you can just start to build electric fences,

Pengine, labda suala laweza kuwa hivi, unaweza anza kujenga senyenge ya umeme,

and this is happening across Africa,

na hili linatokea Afrika kote,

we're seeing this more and more.

tunaliona likitokea zaidi na zaidi.

But they are dividing up areas and blocking corridors.

Lakini wanagawanya maeneo na kufunga njia.

And I'm telling you, these elephants don't think much of it either,

Na ninakueleza, hawa tembo hawajali zaidi kuhusu hili,

particularly if they're blocking a really special water hole

iwapo watazuia shimo muhimu la maji

where they need water,

ambapo wanahitaji maji,

or if there's a very attractive female on the other side.

au kuna jike linalovutia upande wa pili.

It doesn't take long to knock down one of these poles.

Haichukui muda kuvunja nguzo mojawapo ya senyenge.

And as soon as there's a gap in the fence,

Na mara panapotokea mwanya katika senyenge,

they go back, talk to their mates

wanarudi tena, wanaongea na wenzao na ghafla wote wanapita kwenda upande wa pili,

and suddenly they're all through,

na mwishoni wote wanakuwa wamepita,

and now you have 12 elephants on the community side of the fence.

na sasa unao tembo 12 katika upande jamii ya binadamu inapoishi.

And now you're really in trouble.

Na upo katika hatari kwelikweli.

People keep trying to come up with new designs for electric fences.

Watu hujaribu kuja na namna mbalimbali za senyenge za umeme.

Well, these elephants don't think much of those either.

Hata hivyo, tembo hawa hawafikiri sana kuhusu hilo.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

So rather than having these hard-line, straight, electric,

Kwa hiyo badala ya kuwa na hizi senyenge ngumu, zilizo na umeme,

really divisive migratory-blocking fences,

ambazo zinaleta mgawanyo wa tembo na binadamu kuhama,

there must be other ways to look at this challenge.

lazima kuwepo na namna nyingine ya kutazamia changamoto hii.

I'm much more interested in holistic and natural methods

Ninaangazia zaidi katika njia ambayo ni ya jumla na iliyo ya asili

to keep elephants and people apart where necessary.

ili kuwatenganisha wanadamu na tembo pale inapohitajika.

Simply talking to people,

Kwa urahisi kuongea na watu,

talking to rural pastoralists in northern Kenya

kuongea na wafugaji wa vijijini kaskazini mwa Kenya

who have so much knowledge about the bush,

ambao wana uzoefu mkubwa wa porini,

we discovered this story that they had that elephants would not feed on trees

tuligundua hii hadithi ya kwamba walikuwapo tembo ambao hawali majani ya miti

that had wild beehives in them.

ambayo ina mizinga ya nyuki.

Now this was an interesting story.

Sasa hii ilikuwa ni hadithi ya kuvutia.

As the elephants were foraging on the tree,

Tembo walipokuwa wakila katika miti,

they would break branches and perhaps break open a wild beehive.

walivunja matawi na pengine kuharibu mizinga ya nyuki.

And those bees would fly out of their natural nests

Na wale nyuki watakimbia kutoka katika makazi yao

and sting the elephants.

na kuwang'ata tembo.

Now if the elephants got stung,

Sasa kama tembo watang'atwa,

perhaps they would remember that this tree was dangerous

pengine watakumbuka kwamba mti huu ni hatari

and they wouldn't come back to that same site.

na hawatorudi sehemu ile.

It seems impossible that they could be stung through their thick skin --

Inaonekana kwamba haiwezekani kung'atwa katika ngozi yao nene --

elephant skin is around two centimeters thick.

ngozi ya tembo ni takribani sentimeta mbili.

But it seems that they sting them around the watery areas,

Lakini inaonekana nyuki huwang'ata katika sehemu ambazo zina maji maji,

around the eyes, behind the ears, in the mouth, up the trunk.

kuzunguka macho, nyuma ya masikio, katika mdomo, juu ya mkonga.

You can imagine they would remember that very quickly.

Unaweza kuona kwamba watakumbuka kwa urahisi zaidi.

And it's not really one sting that they're scared of.

Na si kwamba wanaogopa kung'atwa mara moja.

African bees have a phenomenal ability:

Nyuki wa Afrika wana uwezo wa ajabu:

when they sting in one site, they release a pheromone

waking'ata sehemu, hutoa kemikali iitwayo pheromone

that triggers the rest of the bees to come and sting the same site.

ambayo huchochea nyuki wengine kung'ata sehemu hiyo hiyo.

So it's not one beesting that they're scared of --

Kwa si mng'ato mmoja wanaoogopa --

it's perhaps thousands of beestings,

lakini pengine ming'ato takribani elfu ya nyuki,

coming to sting in the same area -- that they're afraid of.

kuja kung'ata sehemu hiyo hiyo -- hicho ndicho wanachoogopa.

And of course, a good matriarch

Na hivyo, mama mzuri

would always keep her young away from such a threat.

huwaepusha mbali watoto zake na hatari hiyo.

Young calves have much thinner skins,

tembo wadogo wana ngozi nyembamba,

and it's potential that they could be stung

na inapelekea uwezekano wa kuweza kung'atwa

through their thinner skins.

katika ngozi zao nyembamba.

So for my PhD, I had this unusual challenge

Hivyo kwa ajili ya shahada ya uzamivu, nilipata changamoto hii isiyo kawaida

of trying to work out

katika kujaribu kutafuta namna

how African elephants and African bees would interact,

namna gani tembo na nyuki wa Afrika wanaweza kuwa pamoja,

when the theory was that they wouldn't interact at all.

wakati nadharia inasema hawawezi changamana kabisa.

How was I going to study this?

Niliwezaje kufanyia utafiti hili suala?

Well, what I did was I took the sound of disturbed African honey bees,

Sasa, nilirekodi mlio wa nyuki wa Afrika waliokasirishwa,

and I played it back to elephants resting under trees

na nikauchezesha karibu na tembo waliopumzika chini ya miti

through a wireless speaker system,

kupitia spika isiyotumia waya,

so I could understand how they would react as if there were wild bees in the area.

hivyo ingenipelekea kuelewa namna gani wangeitikia kama kungekuwepo na nyuki pori katika eneo lile.

And it turns out that they react quite dramatically

Na ilitokea kwamba waliitikia katika namna ya kustaajabu

to the sound of African wild bees.

kutokana na sauti ile ya nyuki pori.

Here we are, playing the bee sounds back to this amazing group of elephants.

Hapa sasa, sauti ya nyuki ikisikika katika kundi hili la tembo.

You can see the ears going up, going out,

Utaona masikio yao yanaenda juu, yanatoka nje,

they're turning their heads from side to side,

wanageuza vichwa vyao kila pande,

one elephant is flicking her trunk to try and smell.

tembo mmoja anachezesha mkonga wake akijaribu kunusa.

There's another elephant that kicks one of calves on the ground

Kuna tembo mmoja anayempiga mtoto katika ardhi

to tell it to get up as if there is a threat.

akimueleza asimame kwa vile kuna hatari.

And one elephant triggers a retreat,

Na tembo mmoja anarudi nyuma,

and soon the whole family of elephants are running after her

na baada ya muda mfupi familia yote ya tembo inakimbia kumfata

across the savannah in a cloud of dust.

kwenye nyika katika wingu la vumbi.

(Sound of bees buzzing)

(Sauti ya nyuki wakilia)

(Sound of bees ends)

(Sauti ya nyuki inafikia ukingoni)

Now I've done this experiment many, many times,

Nimefanya utafiti huu mara nyingi sana,

and the elephants almost always flee.

na tembo hukimbia.

Not only do they run away,

Si tu kukimbia,

but they dust themselves as they're running,

Lakini hujichafua pale wanapokimbia,

as if to knock bees out of the air.

ili kuweza kuwafukuzza nyuki kutoka hewani.

And we placed infrasonic microphones around the elephants

Na tuliweka vipaza sauti vya kunasa mawimbi ya chini ya sauti kuwazunguka tembo

as we did these experiments.

tukiwa tunafanya utafiti huu.

And it turns out they're communicating to each other in infrasonic rumbles

Na tukagundua kwamba wanawasiliana katika sauti za mawimbi ya chini wakinguruma

to warn each other of the threat of bees

wakijaribu kuambiana kuhusu hatari ya nyuki

and to stay away from the area.

na kukaa mbali na eneo lile.

So these behavioral discoveries

Hivyo ugunduzi huu wa tabia

really helped us understand how elephants would react

ulitasaidia kuelewa namna gani tembo wanaitikia

should they hear or see bee sounds.

wanaposikia au kuwaona nyuki.

This led me to invent a novel design for a beehive fence,

Hii ilinisaidia kutengeneza ubunifu mpya wa senyenge ya mizinga ya nyuki,

which we are now building around small, one-to-two-acre farms

ambayo kwa sasa tunajenga katika mashamba madogo ya kati ya ekari moja hadi mbili

on the most vulnerable frontline areas of Africa

katika sehemu ambazo zina tatizo hili kwa kiasi kikubwa

where humans and elephants are competing for space.

ambapo binadamu na tembo hugombania nafasi.

These beehive fences are very, very simple.

Senyenge hizi za mizinga ya nyuki ni rahisi sana.

We use 12 beehives and 12 dummy hives

Tunatumia mizinga 12 ya mizinga 12 mingine bandia

to protect one acre of farmland.

ili kulinda ekari moja ya shamba.

Now a dummy hive is simply a piece of plywood

Sasa mzinga bandia ni kipande cha mbao

which we cut into squares, paint yellow

ambacho hukatwa katika mraba, kupakwa rangi ya njano

and hang in between the hives.

na kuning'inizwa katika mizinga halisi.

We're basically tricking the elephants

Kimsingi tunawapumbaza tembo

into thinking there are more beehives than there really are.

kwamba kuna mizinga ya nyuki mingi kuliko iliyopo.

And of course, it literally halves the cost of the fence.

Na hata hivyo, inaokoa nusu gharama ya senyenge.

So there's a hive and a dummy hive

Kwa hivyo kuna mzinga halisi na ulio bandia

and a beehive and now dummy hive,

na mzinga halisi tena ukifatiwa na ulio wa bandia,

every 10 meters around the outside boundary.

kila mita 10 kuzunguka mpaka wa nje.

They're held up by posts

Inashikiliwa na nguzo

with a shade roof to protect the bees,

na kivuli cha paa ili kulinda nyuki,

and they're interconnected with a simple piece of plain wire,

na imeunganishwa na kipande cha kawaida cha waya,

which goes all the way around, connecting the hives.

ambacho kinazunguka kwenye shamba lote, kikiunganisha mizinga.

So if an elephant tries to enter the farm,

Hivyo kama tembo atajaribu kuingia katika shamba,

he will avoid the beehive at all cost,

atakwepa mizinga ya nyuki katika namna yoyote ile,

but he might try and push through between the hive and the dummy hive,

lakini atajaribu kusukuma katika mzinga halisi na bandia,

causing all the beehives to swing as the wire hits his chest.

kusababisha mizinga yote kutikisika pale waya unapogonga mzinga.

And as we know from our research work,

Na tunajua kutokana na utafiti wetu,

this will cause the elephants to flee and run away --

hii itasababisha tembo kukimbia mbali na eneo lile --

and hopefully remember not to come back to that risky area.

na pia kukumbuka kutokurudi eneo lile ambalo ni hatari.

The bees swarm out of the hive,

Nyuki watatoka kwenye mizinga,

and they really scare the elephants away.

na kuwafukuza tembo.

These beehive fences we're studying using things like camera traps

Mizinga hii tunaifatilia kwa kufunga kamera

to help us understand how elephants are responding

ili kutusaidia kuelewa namna gani tembo wanaitikia

to them at night time,

katika nyakati za usiku,

which is when most of the crop raiding occurs.

ambapo ni muda uharibifu wa mazao hutokea sana.

And we found in our study farms

Katika mashamba darasa yetu tuligundua

that we're keeping up to 80 percent of elephants

kwamba tunafukuza asilimia 80 ya tembo

outside of the boundaries of these farms.

kutoweza kuingia katika shamba.

And the bees and the beehive fences are also pollinating the fields.

Na nyuki husaidia uchavushaji katika eneo lile.

So we're having a great reduction both in elephant crop raids

Hivyo tunafakiwa kupunguza sana uharibifu wa mazao na idadi ya tembo wanaoshambulia mashamba

and a boost in yield through the pollination services

na kuongeza mazao kutokana na uchavushaji

that the bees are giving to the crops themselves.

ambao nyuki wanaufanya kwenye mazao.

The strength of the beehive fences is really important --

Nguvu ya senyenge za mizinga ya nyuki ni muhimu sana --

the colonies have to be very strong.

koloni zinatakiwa kuwa imara.

So we're trying to help farmers grow pollinator-friendly crops

Hivyo tunajaribu kuwasaidia wakulima kukuza mazao yanasaidia uchavushaji

to boost their hives,

ili kuweza kukuza mizinga yao,

boost the strength of their bees

kuongeza nguvu ya nyuki zao

and, of course, produce the most amazing honey.

na, hivyo, kutengeneza asali bora zaidi.

This honey is so valuable as an extra livelihood income for the farmers.

Asali hii ina thamani kubwa kama kipato cha ziada kwa wakulima.

It's a healthy alternative to sugar,

Ni mbadala wa sukari wenye afya,

and in our community,

na kwa jamii yetu,

it's a very valuable present to give a mother-in-law,

ni zawadi yenye thamani sana kumpa mama mkwe,

which makes it almost priceless.

ambapo inakuwa kama tunu.

(Laughter)

(Kicheko)

We now bottle up this honey,

Sasa tunaweka asali hii kwenye chupa,

and we've called this wild beautiful honey Elephant-Friendly Honey.

na tumeipa asali hii jina la Asali Rafiki kwa Tembo.

It is a fun name,

Ni jina la kufurahisha,

but it also attracts attention to our project

lakini pia limeleta usikivu katika mradi wetu

and helps people understand what we're trying to do

na kusaidia kuelewa ni kipi tunachojaribu kufanya

to save elephants.

ili kuokoa tembo.

We're working now with so many women

Tunafanya kazi na wakina mama wengi sana

in over 60 human-elephant conflict sites

katika sehemu 60 zilzo na migogoro ya binadamu na tembo

in 19 countries in Africa and Asia

katika nchi 19 zilizopo Afrika na Asia

to build these beehive fences,

kujenga senyenge hizi za mizinga,

working very, very closely with so many farmers

tukifanya kazi kwa ukaribu na wakulima wengi

but particularly now with women farmers,

lakini hasa kwa sasa na wakulima wanawake,

helping them to live better in harmony with elephants.

kuwasaidia kuishi maisha yenye amani na tembo.

One of the things we're trying to do is develop a toolbox of options

Moja ya vitu tunavyojaribu kufanya ni kutengeneza mifumo ya machaguo

to live in better harmony with these massive pachyderms.

ili kuishi katika amani na hawa tembo wakubwa.

One of those issues is to try and get farmers,

Moja ya masuala hayo ni kujaribu kuwafanya wakulima,

and women in particular,

na wanawake kwa ujumla.

to think different about what they're planting

kuwaza kwa upana kuhusu ni mazao gani wanayopanda

inside their farms as well.

katika mashamba yao.

So we're looking at planting crops

Hivyo tunatazamia kupanda mazao

that elephants don't particularly want to eat, like chillies,

ambayo tembo hawahitaji kula, kama pilipili,

ginger, Moringa, sunflowers.

tangawizi, moringa, alizeti.

And of course, the bees and the beehive fences love these crops too,

Na hakika, nyuki na mizinga ya nyuki hupenda mazao haya pia,

because they have beautiful flowers.

kwa sababu yana maua mazuri.

One of these plants is a spiky plant called sisal --

Moja ya mazao haya ni zao lenye miiba liitwalo katani --

you may know this here as jute.

hapa mnalifahamu kama jute.

And this amazing plant can be stripped down

Na mmea huu unaweza kuchanwa

and turned into a weaving product.

na kugeuzwa katika bidhaa ya kufumia.

We're working with these amazing women now

Tunashirikiana na wanawake hawa

who live daily with the challenges of elephants

ambao wanaishi kila siku na changamoto ya tembo

to use this plant to weave into baskets

kutumia mmea huu kufumia vikapu

to provide an alternative income for them.

kujitengenezea kipato.

We've just started construction only three weeks ago

Tumeanza ujenzi wiki tatu zilizopita

on a women's enterprise center

wa kituo cha biashara cha kinamama

where we're going to be working with these women

ambapo tutakuwa tukishirikiana na wanawake hawa

not only as expert beekeepers

si tu kama wataalamu wa utunzaji nyuki

but as amazing basket weavers;

lakini kama wasuka vikapu maridadi;

they're going to be processing chili oils, sunflower oils,

watachakata mafuta ya pilipili, alizeti

making lip balms and honey,

kutengeneza ving'arisha midomo na asali,

and we're somewhere on our way to helping these participating farmers

na tupo mahala katika safari yetu ili kusaidia hawa wakulima

live with better eco-generating projects that live and work better

kuishi katika miradi rafiki iliyo bora

with living with elephants.

katika kuishi na tembo.

So whether it's matriarchs

Hivyo ikiwa ni tembo

or mothers or researchers like myself,

au akinamama au watafiti kama mimi,

I do see more women coming to the forefront now

Nawaona wanawake wakija mstari wa mbele sasa

to think differently and more boldly about the challenges that we face.

kuwaza tofauti na kwa ufasaha kuhusu changamoto tunazokutana nazo.

With more innovation,

Tukiwa na ubunifu zaidi,

and perhaps with some more empathy towards each other,

na pengine kuweza kujaliana,

I do believe we can move from a state of conflict with elephants

Ninaamini tunaweza kutoka katika migogoro na tembo

to true coexistence.

na kuweza kuishi nao kwa uhalisia.

Thank you.

Asante.

(Applause)

(Makofi)