Elephants and Earthquakes

During the month I have been in Kibale Forest – I have experienced probably 15-20 earthquakes…yes, earthquakes! They’re quite small, but my house shakes when they occur. I have been told that the earthquakes are a result of being located along the Albertine Rift Valley. When I first arrived at Kibale, I heard many warnings about the forest elephants in the park: the elephants are very feared because they steal crops and can trample people. Villagers in the nearby villages will post people on patrol throughout the night to bang drums, shoot bullets into the air, and yell at the top of their lungs – all to keep the elephants away from their fields. The field assistants will often abandon the chimps when they hear or see elephants – because they fear being trampled. So – the first time I felt my house shaking, I thought it was elephants moving about. The field assistants laughed when I told them this. Apparently, elephants moving nearby wouldn’t make my house shake. Now I know.