One of the largest animals in our natural world is terrified of one of the tiniest creatures. Elephants are fearful of bees. It’s not exactly clear why, especially as it’s debatable whether the bee can actually sting through the tough elephant hide, though they could get to their eyes or other softer parts. Recent research shows when elephants encounter bees, they run away, and send sonic alarm messages to other elephants about the danger. While this sounds kind of sad for the big animals, their fear of bees may actually save them. In Africa, natural beehive fences are being used to keep elephants safe from wandering too far, encountering hunters, or ravaging neighboring farms.
You can learn more about the relationship among bees, elephants and humans here. A one-minute video at by Lucy King, head of the Human-Elephant Co-Existence Program for Save the Elephants in Nairobi, shows just how much elephants dislike the sounds of bees.
—Shannon