Nairobi — A plant is fast proving to be effective in solving the human-wildlife conflict.

It mainly grows between two and five metres high, and more than three metres wide. It has sharp thorns which are more than 10 centimetres long, and pink flowers and stocky leaves that wild animals find unpalatable.

Livestock owners, game ranchers and other farmers in parts of the Rift Valley are increasingly turning to the plant for hedges that keep off wild animals.

The fence, made from the cactus common in deserts (opuntia exaltata) has been named "Jumping Ocholla".

It is preferred by those whose farms border game reserves, national parks and crocodile and hippo-infested rivers such as River Uaso-Nyiro, which cuts across five districts in northern Kenya.

Introduced in the country

Originally used in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, the hedge was introduced in the country as a flower, only for Kenyans to realise its potential the other day.

It is what the doctor ordered for farmers in human-wildlife conflict situations, who wait for years to be compensated for damages caused by wild animals - if at all.

"It has proved very effective in keeping off wild animals like zebras and lions from my farm," said Mr Isaac Waruterei, a farmer in Rumuruti, Laikipia District, where hardly a day passes without a reported case of elephant farm invasion.

Hedge is doing well

A survey by the Nation has established that the hedge is doing well in Laikipia, Baringo, Samburu and Nakuru districts at an altitude of 1,800 to 2,000 metres, but with little rainfall.

The cactus fence, says a local environmentalist, is not a prolific weed, like its relative, the prickly pear (opuntia ficus-indica) which ravaged pastures in Australia and New Zealand two centuries ago.

Research by the University of Nairobi's department of zoology has found that the hedge is effective against gazelles, bush pigs, warthogs, buffalos, zebras, hippos and even elephants.

"This is an effective barrier," says Mr Michael Mugo, a development officer. "It's effective against livestock, wildlife and human intrusion; it's a fire stopper, since its huge succulent and thick stems will not burn easily."

The plant is also used to protect small dams and wells from trampling and destruction by elephants.

Baboons, notorious in maize farms, cannot pass through the fence, as its long thorns keep them at bay.

"Since we planted the fence, we have not bothered about wild animals roaming in our neighbourhood," said Ms Njeri Wanderi, a maize farmer in Muruku Location," Laikipia East.

Laikipia is also an area of conflict between nomadic herders and crop growers over crop damage caused by migrating herds.

Church and political leaders have cited this conflict over grazing as one of the causes of ethnic fights in the area. This fence secures farms, reducing the conflicts.

Its adaptability to hostile climatic conditions makes it the preferred hedge by ranching communities in many arid regions. Even with erratic rainfall and poor soil, the plant sprouts and matures.

A report compiled by the International Centre for Research in Agro-Forestry also recommends the plant to farmers.

A spot check in the four districts has shown that 27.5 per cent of the residents thought the fence excellent, 62 per cent said it was a good barrier, while 10 per cent thought it was bad.

The plant's size is its major problem. Researchers estimate that a fence planted in the 1960s is now approximately 7.5 metres wide expanding at a rate of 0.3 metre a year.

This invasion, if not controlled, can reduce the acreage under cultivation in small farms.

It is recommended that farmers prune the fence annually to control its sideways spread. The cuttings should then be disposed into a pit and possibly burnt.

Ranchers sometimes use bulldozers to push the heap of fallen stems to the base of the fence.

Farmers are also advised to plant the fence during the dry season, when fungal infections are less common. A trench, one metre wide and deep should be dug and the cuttings then laid on the surface and partially covered with soil.

During the next two years, the cuttings should then be replanted where the stems failed to sprout. This reduces gaps when the fence is established.

According to a census report released recently by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the number of jumbos in Laikipia has risen from 2,947 to 4,000 in the last two years. The number of zebras has shot dramatically from 28,000 to 33,000 during the same time. The population of impalas stands at 7,314, giraffes at 1,602, buffaloes at 1,338 while the hartebeest's population has decreased by 755 due to poaching and killings by farmers.

KWS warden Jane Gitau has attributed the rise in the number of jumbos to the drought that has affected their traditional migratory routes.

The migrating elephants invaded the interior parts of the district, looking for greener pastures, causing havoc and destruction in their wake.

At the same time, at least 17 people have been trampled upon or mauled to death by wild animals in the district in the past four years.

A while ago, a brother of National Assembly Speaker Francis ole Kaparo was mauled to death by a lion in Mukogondo Division.