Baboons, elephants destroying crops

KINSHUSHE, Kenya, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Elephants and baboons have been raiding fields in one district in Kenya, destroying crops and putting at least 3,000 people at risk of starvation.

One man was killed by an elephant while standing guard and another man was seriously injured by baboons that showed up while he was harvesting maize, The Nation, a Kenyan newspaper, reported.

"Residents guard their farms in shifts to protect crops from baboons during day time while others take over and guard against elephants at night," Joseph Meso, the chief in Kishushe, said.

A wildlife control post was set up in the area last year but closed recently. The Kenya Wildlife Service said it didn't have the money to keep the post open, The Nation said.

Two years ago, 5,000 baboons were transferred to Tsavo game reserve, creating a problem in the region. The wildlife service has begun moving baboons out of Tsavo to the Shimba Hills reserve.