You will never understand how scary some animals can be until you come up close with one. A trumpeting elephant, a gorilla’s pig grunt, or lion’s roar are not favorite soundtracks for most of us. Their enormous sizes may also startle. The average adult jumbo, for instance, stands at least 2 meters and can weigh thousands of kilograms.
During a close encounter, some people will remain calm while to others it can be a heart-stopping moment. In some cases, this may end badly. Late last year, for instance, a game ranger at the Rukinga Ranch was trampled by a rogue elephant and his decomposing body was found in a thicket. The scale of destruction left by straying elephants on people’s farms is enormous while the high number of elephants killed following such encounters is worrying.
Communities living around the Tsavo National Park are among those who can give detailed first-hand stories about their encounters with elephants. For years, elephants have been invading their villages, killing residents and destroying property. This nightmare may come to a happy end as four Kajire Girls High School students have invented a solution that may just bring an end to this suffering. It is also worth mentioning that the innovators’ school has also suffered elephant attacks leading to a temporary shut down some years ago.
The girls, Sandra Lukindo, Joyce Mtoto, Nancy Wairimu and Macrina Antonia, have invented a solar-powered sensor kit to alert the authorities of straying elephants. Dubbed “Ndovu Care”, this invention is built in such a way that it can send strong signals and alert KWS authorities and villagers once a jumbo goes to the villages. The girls are definitely a great addition to the club of women shaping the tech space.
How Ndovu Care works
There are many terrifying tales of how people have come into close contact with elephants and the massive destruction these animals have caused. In February 2017, more than 200 stray elephants forced over 80 parents to withdraw their children from Gedion Mosi Primary School in Talio Village for fear of attacks by elephants. The parents had vowed that their children would not report back to school until KWS sorts out the issue. This instance is just a tip of the iceberg since many deaths and massive destruction of property have been reported over time. If adopted widely, Ndovu Care could bring an end to a serious problem.
The Ndovu Care gadget, a careful integration of motion sensors and Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication, comes with a red light which signals that it is powered on. The sensor has been set in such a way that it raises alarm when an elephant crosses a certain point, an SMS is sent to the community living around the park as well the KWS officials.
When the siren goes off, the community is advised to stay indoors while the KWS staff work to control the animals.
The gadget can be placed at strategic points where elephants frequent, routes they use to get to the village or on the fence along the park. When detected, the KWS officials can carry out a real-time response before elephants cause destruction and/or loss of lives.
The innovation has already caught the attention of some organizations and the innovators confirmed that they would be selling the prototype.
The four girls have been hailed for their innovation. They emerged winners at the Diamond Africa challenge beating 90 other submissions nationally. It is this innovation that has also earned them a spot in a global competition. They are expected to travel to the United States to participate in a challenge at the University of Delaware set to take place between April 11 and 14.
Ndovu Care is expected to take care of both elephants and the community by ensuring that elephants live in their habitat while people living around such habitats can go on with their daily lives without fear of attacks. This is among the best solutions that could help deal with the wildlife-human conflict that has been evidenced for many years. The country would also benefit from earnings brought by tourists who visit the parks.
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