We are living here in this area just beside the water, of course we use water for our garden and for our animals. But elephants, they come to drink water of course and they want to cool down their body. So, all of us, we share the same water.

 

 

 

During the day, an uneasy peace settles over the lake. People fill their goat skins. The elephants drink. But when night falls, the truce will be broken.

 

 

 

After the drinking, they come through their way to the garden for they smell food, trees and crops. So, we have to protect our garden. 

 

 

 

It takes more than brush fences to keep out three tons of hungry pachyderm.

 

 

 

If an elephant has spent just half an hour in our garden, he would eat at least 30 percent of it. And this is the big danger for our families.

 

 

 

To lose a third of their crop is a catastrophe for any farmer, let alone here, and this is not your average garden pest. As the sun sets, the battle lines are drawn.

 

 

 

The farmer digs holes to keep the elephant away from the farm, to not damage the farm, but this is not enough. They come all the time, spoil a lot of things and you can not even get to sleep during the night. They come like a nightmare.

 

 

 

Tonight, the nightmare materializes and the enemy is engaged.

 

 

 

At first light, Oma finds he has a near brush with disaster. 

 

 

 

I discovered that there were two elephants in the garden. I have followed their footprints to the next garden and found out that they damaged a lot of garden trees. I do know but since I was a kid, we are doing the same things every year and for sure I will do it in the future every year. And this is the daily fight among us and elephant. Every time we are facing the same problem with elephant every year. 

 

 

 

Throughout Africa, elephants and people do battle. For now, the elephants have headed south to search for fresh vegetation, but in six months, they will be back and once again, Oma Sewardu will not sleep.