Smelly camels keep marauding elephants away

[sandance2]

Forget mice — Indian villagers have recruited camels to protect their farmlands and homes from marauding elephants, saying the beasts' stink was enough to keep the pachyderms at bay. Officials said on Thursday that villagers in Jharkhand state had earlier this month hired two camels for $46 a month each and were using them for patrolling. The elephants do not roam where camels are found. Wildlife officials, however, were skeptical. Forest officials have said they cannot comment on how effective it will be.
More than 400 people have been trampled to death in the last seven years in Jharkhand by elephants, which have also destroyed crops and homes, officials said. Villagers in the past have used chilies and fire crackers to keep elephants away.

I can vouch for the fact that camels smell very bad, and they're also nasty animals - riding one is a real feat! I guess the Arabs that ride them have no sense of smell.