Lore has it that the largest land mammal elephants are afraid of mice, but scientists have now discovered that elephants are truly afraid of bees - and that the pachyderms even sound an alarm when they encounter them. The researchers hope this discovery can help save farmers' crops from elephants. And they hope it will save elephants too.
據說，陸地上最大型的動物大象怕老鼠，但科學家如今發現，大象真正怕的是蜜蜂；當這種厚皮大型動物碰到小蜜蜂時，甚至會發出警報。研究人員希望，這項發現有助於保住農民的莊稼不致遭大象破壞，他們也希望藉此拯救大象。
As human populations expand, they move into elephant territory and elephants and people end up sharing the same space. One of the consequences is that elephants start raiding crops, which can end up harming both people and elephants. Conflict between humans and elephants in countries like Kenya occur often. A single hungry elephant can wipe out a family's crops overnight.
隨著人類人口擴增，他們侵入大象的活動領域，最後人象只好共用一個空間。後果之一是大象開始偷襲踐踏莊稼，到頭來人象同時受害。人象之間的衝突在肯亞等國經常發生。一頭飢餓的大象，就足以使一個家庭的作物毀於一旦。
Farmers will huddle by fires all night during the harvest season. When an elephant nears, the farmers spring up with flaming sticks while their children bang on pots and pans. Not all fields can be guarded, and sometimes the elephants aren't frightened off. Farmers sometimes kill elephants for raiding their crops. Rampaging elephants have also killed people, and they are then hunted down by park rangers.
到了收成季節，農民往往通宵達旦圍聚在火邊。大象靠近時，農民立刻手持燃燒的棍棒一躍而起，他們的孩子則不斷敲打鍋碗瓢盆乒乓作響。但並非所有的田野都可以派人看守，有時也嚇不走大象。農民有時乾脆殺死破壞作物的大象，大象抓狂橫衝直撞也可能踩死人，最後被公園護林員圍剿逮捕。
The discovery that elephants emit low-frequency alarm calls around bees could help lessen these conflicts, said Lucy King, a researcher into animal behavior whose paper on elephants alarm calls was published in a journal of the Public Library of Science PLoS One.
「大象在接近蜜蜂時會發出低頻警告吼叫聲」這項發現，有助於降低人象衝突，專門研究動物行為的露西．金恩說，她把大象會發出呼叫通風報信的相關研究報告，發表於公共科學圖書館的專業期刊《PLoS One》上。
Farmers could make “bee fences” by stringing up hives on poles around 10m apart, King said. A strong wire connecting the poles would cause them to swing when an elephant walks into it, disturbing the bees. The swarm bothers elephants so much that they flee, emitting low rumblings inaudible to the human ear that warn other elephants nearby. “It's impossible to cover Africa in electric fences,” King said. “The infrastructure doesn't exist in many places and it would restrict animals' movement. This could be a better way to direct elephants away from farmers' crops.”
金恩說，農民可藉由每10公尺在竹竿上懸掛蜂箱，築起一道「蜜蜂圍籬」。以強韌的鐵絲網將這些竹竿串連起來，當大象走近時，竹竿會晃動，驚擾蜜蜂，蜂群則會使大象飽受困擾逃之夭夭，這些象群同時持續發出人類聽不見的低頻吼聲，警告附近其他大象勿近。「我們不可能在整個非洲建通電圍欄。」金恩說：「很多地方缺乏水電等基礎建設，何況那會限制動物的行動。這可能是引導大象遠離農民作物更好的方式。」
King's findings are based on two separate experiments, part of a project by Oxford University and Save the Elephants. In the first, she played recorded bee sounds near elephants, causing them to flee. The researchers noticed that elephants distant from the sound also moved away, leading them to speculate the elephants were communicating an alarm below the range of human hearing.
金恩這項發現基於兩項獨立的實驗結果，這項計畫部分由牛津大學和「拯救大象」計畫贊助。在第一項實驗中，她播放預錄蜜蜂靠近大象時所發出的聲音，使象群逃離。研究人員發現，即使距離很遠的大象也跑走了，他們因此推測，大象以低於人類聽得見的音頻通風報信。
For her second experiment, King hung ultra-sensitive microphones from trees. She recorded elephant rumblings over a two-month experiment in Kenya's Samburu National Park. “We put the speaker in a bush quite away from the car. We didn't want to get charged by mistake,” she said. She then played the sounds back to elephants. When they heard the recorded rumblings they moved away, confirming the researchers' hunch about alarm calls.
至於第二項實驗，金恩在樹上懸掛超靈敏的麥克風。她到肯亞山布魯國家公園進行兩個月實驗，錄下大象低沉的吼聲。「我們把喇叭放在遠離汽車的叢林中，因為我們可不希望誤遭大象攻擊。」她說。她再對著那些大象播放錄下的聲音，當牠們聽到她錄的聲音就跑了，更證實研究人員的直覺：大象會通風報信。
The study has shown that elephants utter a distinctive rumble in response to the sound of bees, signaling troop members to flee their attackers. According to researchers, this is the first time elephants have been found to make specific sounds to warn of particular threats, although they have also been observed 'roaring' when threatened by lions. The fleeing elephants also shook their heads violently, as if trying to deflect bees.
研究顯示，回應蜜蜂嗡嗡叫的聲音，大象發出獨特的低吼聲，警告象群逃離攻擊者。研究人員並稱，這是第一次發現，大象發出具體的聲音，警告牠們已經面臨特定的威脅，雖然當牠們面臨獅子攻擊時，也被觀察到發出「咆哮」聲。這些逃跑的大象還猛烈搖頭，彷彿試圖甩掉蜜蜂。
King said further research is needed before her findings can be put to wide use. But she's hopeful they can help find a solution to some of the 1300 complaints the Kenya Wildlife Service（KWS） records about elephant-human contact each year. Many elephants in Africa don't live in the protected confines of a national park. The new study opens up the possibility of using recordings of the 'bee rumble' as a deterrent as well, helping to prevent potential conflict between humans and elephants. “This sort of initiative is very encouraging in helping prevent human wildlife conflict,” said Paul Udoto, a spokesman for KWS.
金恩表示，還需要進一步研究，才能廣泛應用她這項發現。但她希望，這有助於解決肯亞野生動物管理局每年約1300起因人象接觸後的投訴案件。非洲很多大象並非生活在受保護的國家公園內，這項新研究也打開利用「蜜蜂嗡嗡叫」的錄音來嚇阻敵人的可能性，有助於預防人類和大象之間潛在的衝突。「這類方案有助於防止人類和野生動物的衝突，非常令人鼓舞。」肯亞野生動物管理局發言人烏多托說。
The researchers believe such calls may be an emotional response to a threat, a way to coordinate group movements and warn nearby elephants – or even a way of teaching inexperienced and vulnerable young elephants to beware. Despite their thick hides, adult elephants can be stung around their eyes or up their trunks. Young calves could potentially be killed by a swarm of stinging bees as they have yet to develop this thick protective skin.
研究人員相信，這些叫聲可能是面對威脅的情緒反應，是一種協調群體行動的方式，同時也可警告附近象群，甚至用來教育沒經驗又容易受傷的幼象要小心提防。儘管大象皮很厚，成年大象的眼睛和肢幹還是可能被蜜蜂螫傷，小象甚至可能被一群蜜蜂螫死，因為牠們還沒長出厚厚的皮來保護牠們。
Photo left taken on Sept. 21, 2007 shows a lone elephant shake its head on hearing the sound of bees in Samburu National Park. Photo right taken on Jan. 8, 2010 shows beehive fence in Tsavo National Park in Kenya.
上左圖攝於2007年9月21日，照片顯示一隻落單的大象，在山布魯國家公園聽到蜜蜂嗡嗡叫的聲音後猛甩頭。右圖攝於2010年1月8日，圖中可見位於肯亞薩佛國家公園的蜜蜂圍欄。（美聯社）