How bees could help save elephants | Sydney Lynn Becker | TEDxClaremont Graduate University

This TEDx talk explores the fragile relationship between humans and wildlife through a deeply personal story from rural Tanzania, where nightly encounters with elephants can mean fear, loss, and even death. This talk aims to reframe human–elephant conflict not as a battle to be won, but as a communication problem to be solved. It highlights an unexpected solution, beehive fences, inspired by research from conservation biologist Lucy King, to show how designing with nature, rather than against it, can protect communities while allowing wildlife to thrive. Ultimately, the talk argues that the future of conservation depends not on force, but on understanding, creativity, and coexistence. Sydney Becker is an undergraduate student at Scripps College studying biology and psychology, whose primary interests are caring for animals and the world they inhabit. Sydney’s experiences range from hands-on work with animals in both captive and wild settings to fieldwork in Tanzania, where she assisted with GPS collaring of elephants. Working in these areas has driven her curiosity about how animals adapt, communicate, and behave in different environments. She is especially interested in the parallels and contrasts between wild and captive lives, as well as in the responsibility humans hold in shaping both. Through her work, she hopes to encourage more thoughtful and ethical relationships with both animals and conservation. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx