Human-elephant conflict arising from crop raiding affects millions of people and hundreds of thousands of elephants, with welfare consequences for both and management solutions of varying effectiveness.
Human-elephant conflict represents a welfare emergency for elephants who are killed, injured, or captured in retaliation for natural foraging behavior. Effective deterrent systems that prevent crop raiding without lethal control serve both elephant welfare and human livelihoods. Beehive fences, which exploit elephants' natural avoidance of bees, are particularly effective, low-cost solutions that have been adopted successfully in multiple range countries. Supporting these programs reduces suffering on both sides of the conflict.