Elephants vs avocados - 9th April 2021

Tolstoy the elephant roams the southern Kenyan wilderness. He has survived droughts and illegal ivory hunters for almost 50 years. However, he now faces an even more dangerous threat: the avocado.

The popularity of avocados in wealthy countries has increased year after year. Last year, agricultural business KiliAvo Fresh was given permission to plant avocados on Kenyan land which it bought from the local Maasai people. The planned farm is close to a national park where many elephants live.

Environmental groups say the farm will have a huge impact on the elephants. Daniel Ole Sambu from the Big Life Foundation is concerned about where the elephants will reproduce.

Daniel: "There are two farms there, and both of them are exactly in the middle of a wildlife dispersal area. Some of this, we have recorded some of this area has been used by elephant as maternity. You know, they come out of the park, outside the park, give birth there, and then they go back when they, they the calf, calf are good, enough to walk. So when we, we do a large farm there, then it means we are going to lose that space. The elephant has to find another space."

In recent years, demand for avocados has increased Kenyan exports. Profits have reached $17 million a year.

However, KiliAvo's massive new farm has caused anger among the locals. Samuel Kaanki believes KiliAvo's success would lead to even more land being sold to avocado businesses.

Samuel: "If we lose this land, if, if KiliAvo will be allowed to continue, we will lose others. We have so many others people who are waiting. So it is dangerous. If we lose this, we will lose so many."

After pressure from Kenya's environmental agency, the farm was ordered to stop working last September while the government examines the situation. However, despite this, planting continues.