1.2.1 Direct Conflict
Crop Damage
Crop damage is perhaps the most prevalent form of conflict across the African continent.
When elephants damage food and cash crops, they affect a rural farmer’s livelihoods.
Elephants in large groups can destroy large areas of crops in a single night. While
elephants target staple food crops such as maize, they also damage cash crops such as
cotton and cocoa. Crop damage not only affects a farmer’s ability to feed his or her family,
it also reduces cash income and has repercussions for health, nutrition, education and
ultimately, development.
Human Death and Injury
Elephants kill and injure people across the African continent. Most of those killed are men,
and many of these incidents occur during the night. In one study in Kenya alcohol was
found to be a key factor in one third of the deaths; victims were drunk and returning home
from the bar. Others died protecting their crops, herding cattle and walking at night
between neighbouring villages. Human death, although less common than crop damage, is
the most severe manifestation of HEC and is universally regarded as intolerable