Kenya’s Maasai compete with farting mongooses

Kenya - Maasai honey harvesters face some stiff competition - from mongooses. They say that the mongooses raid the beehives at night and eat all the honey. It is believed locally they do this by farting - although animal behaviourists say they are not known to be particularly flatulent animals. “The mongooses are very clever animals. They normally climb up the trees where the beehives are,” says Mr Matampash, who runs Neighbours Initiative Alliance, a non-governmental organisation backing the beekeepers. “Once up there, they break wind - forcing the bees to flee from the foul smell and then they knock down the beehive and eat the honey.  More…