As you all know, I've seen all too many speared elephants in Amboseli, and it recently happened again.

A big part of the problem there, as everywhere in Africa, is elephants getting into people's gardens and eating the plants. I know chilli ropes, strings and bombs have worked well in southern Africa. Yet no-one in Kenya seems to be doing anything about it.

Does anyone know where you could buy chilli plants and/or seeds in Kenya and what the cost would be. I am trying to encourage this being started in the Kimana area and see if it works. It certainly can't hurt. I don't know if it has to be a certain type of chilli or if any "hot" chilli would do. I might even think of starting someone out with 50 - 100 plants to get started if I thought they would take it seriously and then they might have a nice little side business.

However, I need to learn a lot more about it. Anyone out there know any of the answers? I even wonder if Chris and Bev in South Africa might know. Perhaps I should write them also.

not sure if it helps Jan Try here

[URL=http://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/seeds.html]Chillie farms[/URL]

As an interest.....Kath grows chillies here in the UK & we\\\'ve had no problems with elephants!

kipper:

Thanks so much for the link. I'm going to write them tonight and see if they are able to ship seeds to Kenya. Don't know whether it is legal or not. If not, if they can get them to me before I leave I'll take them with me. It seems the "tobasco" type chilli is the best.

Again, asante sana!

[URL=http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/features/index.cfm?uNewsID=9223]link[/URL]

[URL=http://www.elephantpepper.com/approach.html]link 2[/URL]

[URL=ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/010/j7245e.pdf]link 3[/URL]

Kipper - now I knopw why there are no elephants in the UK - you are responsible for this down fall of elephants with your chilli gardens.
Bwanamich perhaps could expand on this -?

Thanks kipper: I've tried several but they couldn't help.

Thus I have been in contact with The Chilli Farm in South Africa. Sounds like I might be buying 600 chilli seeds - tobasco, habaneros and Malaga bird - all #10 on chilli scale of strength and hotness.

If I can get them before I leave I'll take them with me. The elephants in the Amboseli-Kimana area need as much help as they can get (not from eating the chillies but from keeping away from the Maasai). I got an email from a friend today stating that in his area in Kimana, there was a group of bull elephants as well as a family and the dung was riddled with maize - so we know they are crop raiding.

Another friend's in-laws live in the Kimana area, and she was so excited when I sent her the information about making the chilli ropes and chilli and dung brick bombs.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that this may help some. It won't change the Maasai attitudes, but it may help keep the eles. away from the Maasai.