ElephantVoices’ Petter Granli visited Kenya from 23. August to 5. September 2005. The main purpose this time was to work with the ongoing project’ "Mitigating human-elephant conflict in the Amboseli Ecosystem", executed in close collaboration with Kenya Wildlife Service and School for Management Studies in Kimana.

During his stay Petter and the Kenyan HEC team Winnie Kiruu and John Kioko met with Dr. Michelle Gadd and Dr. Herb Raffaele from US Fish and Wildlife, which together with Born Free Foundation and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) are the major project sponsors. Their meeting took place in Amboseli, where visits to test sites in Loitokitok and Kimana were included in the program. The visitors met enthusiastic representatives from the local communities involved as enumerators and vigilante groups in the project. The main goal for the project is to develop efficient tools and methods that local farmers can use to keep elephants away from their crops. Joyce is in Kenya/Amboseli from 11. to 29 September.

1. More and more farms gives less habitat for elephants and other wildlife, one main reason for the increased number of conflicts. 2. Project manager Winnie Kiruu and Petter Granli discussing by the Born Free project car. Born Free is one of the sponsors of the HEC project. Kiruu is starting on her PhD related to certain aspects of the HEC challenge in the beginning of October 2005. 3. Project researcher John Kioko and local farmer checking pilot trip wire in Kimana. 4. Pilot trip wire early warning system, Isinet. 5. USFWS representatives studying HEC observation tower. 6. Vigilante group preparing pilot chilli rope. 7. The HEC project has led to other types of local initiatives and collaborative efforts as well, here a tree nursery. 8. Testing sound device.

Greetings from Petter