Villagers in India have a problem with marauding elephants. They not only destroy homes and crops, but in the last 16 years they have killed over 600 people. Some villagers have killed the elephants to the horror of conservationists.
But villagers have a new weapon to use against the elephants now, and it's a weapon that drives the elephants away without harming them. This new weapon is the hot Indian chili called the "ghost chili". It's real name is the bhut jolokia, and it's the hottest chili in the world -- about twice as hot as the habanero.
The villagers are using the chilies in a couple of different ways. They make a paste from it and smear the paste on their fences. They also dry the pepper and mix it with straw and burn it. The very strong odor of the smoke drives away the elephants without harming them.
Oddly enough, this same pepper that is too strong for elephants, is one of the most sought-after peppers by humans for use in cooking. Just goes to show, there's nothing humans won't eat.
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