This fence makes honey (and keeps elephants away)
Plus FUZZ is headed to Mongolia. Next week!
Today, I want to talk about fences. Not your typical backyard barrier, but some fascinating innovations that are changing how humans and wildlife share increasingly crowded spaces.
Let's start in Kenya, where a nine-year study confirmed something interesting: elephants really, really don't like bees. When farms installed beehive fences — literally just a series of connected beehives strung between posts — they successfully deterred up to 86% of approaching elephants during peak crop seasons. It turns out elephants' natural fear of being stung (particularly around sensitive areas like their eyes and trunks) creates a highly effective, completely natural barrier.
But here's what makes this solution particularly elegant: these fences don't just keep elephants away. The 365 beehives in the study produced over a ton of honey, earning farmers $2,250 in additional income. Plus, the bees provide crucial pollination services for crops. It's a rare win-win-win scenario in conservation.
Meanwhile in India, a different kind of innovation is taking shape. The town of Valparai installed 700 solar-powered "invisible" fence posts, part of 1300 installed across the region. When elephants or other wildlife cross between these posts, sensors trigger alarms and flashing lights, warning residents to stay indoors and giving animals space to pass safely. (There are also SMS alerts and TV broadcasts about elephants on the move in the region — anything to prevent conflict.)
Both approaches share something important: instead of trying to completely separate humans and wildlife (which rarely works long-term), they're finding ways to manage the interaction. The beehive fences actually create value for farmers, while the solar posts help people and animals avoid surprise encounters.
Of course, neither solution is perfect. Droughts can reduce bee activity, making the fences less effective. Some solar posts have been knocked down by elephants, others need maintenance, and the alarms sometimes cry wolf by triggering for humans too. But they represent a crucial shift in thinking: rather than viewing human-wildlife conflict as a zero-sum game, we're starting to find ways for both sides to thrive.
The beehive approach has proven so promising that over 14,000 hives now serve as elephant deterrents across 97 sites in Africa and Asia. It's a reminder that sometimes the best solutions aren't about building higher walls — they're about working with nature rather than against it.
A video hello to new subscribers and FUZZ hits the road and is about to get really, really cold.
FUZZ is growing quick! Because there’s so many of you whom I’ve never met in person, I recorded a quick video hello so you can see the person behind the newsletter and learn a little bit about next week’s crazy last minute trip to Mongolia that I'll depart for on Tuesday.
I’ll be in Mongolia for about 12 days, visiting and helping to reset the camera traps set by the Manul Working Group but also learning more about the other unique animals that habitat the steppe. It’s going to be cold — temperatures can reach as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit at night — so any creature calling Mongolia home has to be winter hardy as well.
I’ve done my best to get hardy myself, spending the last few days double-checking all my cold weather gear before the trip. I’ll be reporting what I learn here in the newsletter and for our first big feature on YouTube — if you’re not subscribed to the channel, join it here.
Quick links!
A massive milestone in Florida panther research: Scientists just captured (only temporarily) what might be the state's largest panther ever, reportedly a 165-pound male found in a tree. While FWC hasn't officially confirmed the record, it's well above the typical 60-160 pound range for these endangered cats.
New updates from Colorado's Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center highlight both the promise and challenge of saving North America's first cloned endangered species. These fierce little predators (they have the largest canine-to-skull ratio of any carnivore!) are making a slow comeback from near extinction. When they were rediscovered in the 1980s, only 18 remained. Now, thanks to breeding programs and scientific breakthroughs - including the successful birth of kits to a cloned mother last year - their population is rebounding.
Conservation groups are sounding the alarm about a recent pause in U.S. federal foreign assistance that threatens to disrupt critical wildlife protection efforts worldwide. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) warns that without this funding, years of progress could unravel - from elephant corridor protection in Kenya's Tsavo region to anti-trafficking programs that help safeguard pangolins and other endangered species. The timing is particularly frustrating given that 80% of American voters support maintaining — or even increasing — funding for global conservation programs.
Fascinating reading today, safe travels!