Crop-raiding by elephants can severely affect the livelihoods and security of subsistence farmers. Our study in Zambia aimed to mitigate the impact of elephants on the livelihoods of farmers through trials of Poliwire electric fencing systems, which are small, farm-based fencing systems erected seasonally to deter elephants from maize fields
Poliwire is a mix of fine wire strands interwoven with polyethylene, and due to its flexibility, it is not stiff enough to form wildlife snares; thereby eliminating potential collateral damage to wildlife. Electrification of the poliwire was achieved with a solar panel, solar charge regulator, battery and energiser unit, which were placed in farm buildings that were adjacent to fields. A single-strand of poliwire was placed on poles 15 m apart at a height of 1.5 metres and extended 500 m in either direction from the farm buildings to completely encircle fields. The poliwire was flagged with plastic strips to ensure visibility. We found that due to the greater resistivity of the poliwire’s six stainless steel strands compared to conventional fencing wire, it could only maintain the preferred voltage on farms that were one kilometre in circumference or less. Therefore this poliwire product is more suited to HEC mitigation on smaller farm plots and its cost-effective pricing makes it suitable for small-scale subsistence farmers.
The single-strand of poliwire was very effective in deterring elephants; by encircling the entire field, elephants were completely prevented from entering. Once elephants had touched the poliwire once, there were no further challenges to the fence-line up to its removal after maize harvesting, regardless of the elephant visitation rates or the length of time after the contact. Therefore elephants did not habituate to the electrified poliwire once they learned the danger of it.
This presentation outlines the technical aspects of installing a Poliwire electric fencing system as an additional deterrent method for HEC managers to use, especially in areas where elephants may have become habituated to other methods. In addition, it provides a relatively low-cost, low-labour, low-maintenance method, which will be important in HEC areas where it is difficult to instill community ownership/management of wildlife conflict.
